Eternal Snow: Revised Edition
by Serena-hime
Summary: Cat Tsuru receives a family heirloom that's thousands of years old. She begins to have strange dreams and a year later Cat finds herself in Domino City. She also finds out the story behind her heirloom has an unexpected connection. Please read the Intro
1. Introduction: Please read me first!

**Introduction:**

Yes, yes, I'm sure some of you are wondering, "What the heck is going on?" Well...at least the ones who are reading the other version of Eternal Snow.

For a while, I wasn't happy with how Eternal Snow had turned out. It was extremely long, a lot of the chapters were long, boring and/or written out just like a Yugioh episode.

Not to mention, I'm not happy with how some things played out. Like the beginning of the first version of Eternal Snow.

One day, I just started re-writing the chapters and I kept on going. So I decided to post the chapters online. I do not know if I will finish this, but I will try.

Obviously there is going to be a lot of changes in this version of Eternal Snow. But there will be things that were kept from the older version.

For any possible first time readers, allow me to explain some things. :D

1. I will be calling the Pharaoh, "Yami". I know there are people out there who don't like him being called that since that's not his official name anywhere. But it's used often and it's a little more convenient for me.

2. There are a few OC's. The main character of this story, is an OC. If you hate OC's, then there's no need to make yourself read this.

3. I will be using mostly the Japanese names of the characters. But some of them, I will admit, will have their dub/English names used. For reasons such as: "I don't remember what they're Japanese name is." Or "I don't want to have to stop writing to look up their name to see how it's spelled all the time."

So, for example, I know Yugi's Grandfather's Japanese name is, "Sugoroku". But I had to look that up just to get it. So in this story, he's going by his dub/English name, "Solomon".

But other than that, you shouldn't see the dub/English names being used too much.

4. I DO NOT write out duels. Why? Because I suck at writing duels. I suck at writing them pretty badly. So I don't do it. Maybe there will be one written out once or twice. But just keep in mind that this is highly, highly unlikely.

So there you have it!

The first chapter may be a little dull...but that's usually how all first chapters are. Things start moving at the second chapter.

(Also, no need to type a review for this chapter/introduction. Lol)

I hope all of you enjoy my story! :D


	2. A New Life

_There has been many times...when I have had strange dreams. Very strange dreams..._

_I don't remember exactly when they started...but...I started having them when I was 14. At that time, I didn't have them that often. And they weren't so confusing._

_But...a year later...minutes before my grandmother died...she passed on a family heirloom to me that was only to be passed down to the girls of the family._

_It was a silver cartouche. An authentic one from Ancient Egypt. It had been in our family since the Ancient times...and yet...it was so well kept...it looked new._

_Apparently my ancestor, Luna, was the original owner. The story was, was that my ancestor, Luna, was in love with an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. They were supposed to be married, but the Pharaoh died before that was able to happen. Luna was apparently a Princess from another kingdom. A kingdom that even now, in present day, we don't know much about. It was called the "Celestial Kingdom" I guess. Anyways, Luna ran away from her kingdom to get out of an arranged marriage and found herself in Egypt, where she met the Pharaoh. After the Pharaoh died, Luna was sent back to her kingdom and married the man she was originally going to marry. After giving birth to their first child, Luna died shortly after. It's said she died because of heartbreak._

_But the cartouche was made to symbolize the Pharaoh and Luna's "eternal love" or something like that._

_My mother, Serenity Tsuru was next in line to inherit the cartouche...but she didn't accept the necklace. Mom thinks that the story behind the cartouche and such was just silly talk. I'm sure it made grandma feel a little sad when her own daughter wouldn't accept it. Grandma always seemed to take the cartouche and story behind it pretty seriously._

_But when grandma gave it to me, she told me the story behind it and said to me that she believed that my destiny was surrounded by this cartouche. Only because somewhere along the line, the name on the front of the cartouche changed from "Luna" to "Cat". (By the way, it's written in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.)_

_I don't know how that happened...and it's kind of a weird situation...kind of...creepy..._

_There was a rumor that the cartouche had disappeared for a while and when it was found again, the name on the front had changed. My guess is that someone changed the front, or it's not the original._

_Anyway, there's a name on the back of the cartouche as well. No one knows what it says. I guess some people think that the name on the back of the cartouche is the name of Luna's love, the Pharaoh._

_But it's in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphcs. And for some reason, we can't decode them. Not even professionals._

_With all these weird things happening with this cartouche, I felt kind of hesitent to accept it. But...it's tradition. And it made my grandmother happy before she died, that I accepted the neckalce. Besides...it couldn't get any weirder, right?_

_Wrong._

_Now we're back where I started._

_The night I recieved the cartouche from my grandmother, those strange dreams I was having a year earlier started coming like crazy! Almost every night. And they were more vivid than before._

_This really disturbed me._

_The dreams always seemed like they were bits and pieces of an incomplete story. I can remember them well._

_In one of the dreams, I find myself standing in the middle of the Egyptian desert...it's really hot; then comes a sandstorm. And before I know it, after the sandstorm hits me, I find myself in an Egyptian palace in royal garbs. _

_The dream usually ends there._

_Another dream includes a man._

_He's completely covered in shadow, so I can't see all of him. Just his silhouette. The man reaches out and touches my face softly. And when he does that, I close my eyes and my heart starts to beat faster. Almost as if I'm in love with this man. And all of the sudden, after he touches my face, he disappears and sadness starts to set in....and that's where it ends._

_In my third dream, I find myself in a dark, dark battlefield. The clouds in the sky are so thick and dark, there's no sunlight. Even when it's daytime._

_An army is trying to fight off this large monster-like thing...I don't know what it is. But the army is failing and I feel a strong need to try and help everyone._

_But before I can do anything, a bright light appears before the monster and the monster disappears, roaring._

_Even though it would naturally seem like a good thing, I find myself falling to my knees and crying uncontrolallbly. _

_And it ends there._

_I have other dreams similar to these...but I just don't understand them. What do they mean?_

_They probably don't mean anything. _

_After all...they're only dreams._

* * *

A young girl stared at her reflection in the plane window. She was hardly paying attention to the clouds outside.

_Honey...I have some news for you. We're moving to Japan._

_Japan?! B-But...that's on the other side of the world! Why are we moving there??  
_

_Our jobs are requiring us to move there. And we need these jobs. Your mother and I figured that they would someday send us to Japan, since that's where one of our largest headquarters is found. That's why we had you learn the Japanese language when you were younger._

_The city we're moving to is called "Domino City". It seems like a nice city. I'm sure you'll like it there, honey._

_But...all my friend live here...in America...its too far away._

_I'm so sorry...but we don't have much of a choice. Make sure you say goodbye to them all and make sure you can still contact them through phone calls and e-mails._

_..._

The girl sighed as she remembered the day her parents told her that they were moving to Japan.

"I can't believe they're sending me here by myself." She mummered to herself.

The girl's name was Cat Tsuru. She was 15 and a half and was flying to Japan by herself.

Her skin was very pale and her eyes were a vivid sky blue. Her hair was dark brown and was very long, for it ended at her waist. Cat almost always had it in a ponytail. She had very long bangs that were split and hung down the sides of her face; they ended around her collarbone.

Although Cat didn't look like it, she was part Japanese and part American. Only because her mother is an American, while her father is Japanese.

Being shy by nature, she knew it was going to be hard to make new friends in Japan.

Cat sighed again.

Her parents sent her out to Japan because the house the used to live in, in America, was sold and they needed to move out as soon as possible. Her parents sent her alone because they had to go on a very long business trip before they could move to Japan as well.

Serenity, Cat's mother, wasn't comfortable with the idea of sending Cat to Japan by herself. But Cat's father, Sabaku Tsuru, said it would be fine.

After a long while of talking, they finally reached their conclusion. They packed and gave Cat everything she needed to get a head-start on her new life in Japan and sent her off.

Cat's father also mentioned that this would be a good experience for Cat. To ready her for life as an adult, since she was close to becoming the age of one.

And so...Cat had to find the apartment her parents bought for her, she had to enroll herself in school and provide for herself. Her parents gave her enough money to live there by herself for a while.

But her parents would keep in contact.

"_Attention passengers. We are now arriving at Domino City airport. Please remain seated until instructed otherwise._"

The plane landed smoothly on the runway of the Domino City airport.

Once it was okay to start getting off the plane, Cat stood up and brushed herself off before grabbing her bags.

What she was wearing wasn't all that cute, but it was casual. She wore blue jeans, tennis shoes, a light blue tang top and a tan jacket that was zipped up just under her collarbone that all fit well on her thin body.

And finally, she wore the silver cartouche her grandmother gave her before she passed away.

After gathering the rest of her bags, Cat maneuvered through the crowds, avoiding unwanted glances or stares.

Once she found her way out of the airport, she was fortunate enough to find and stop a taxi. After she packed her bags in the car and slid in, she pulled out a piece of paper her mother gave her. It was the address of the apartment she was going to live in.

She told the taxi driver the address and the car sped off.

* * *

The 7th floor was where Cat's home was.

Unlocking the door, she stepped in. The place seemed small, but there was more than enough room for Cat.

There was a kitchen with all the equipment she needed. Well...except for the stove. She winced at the fact that she was the worst cook ever. She knew she was going to have to eat food that didn't require cooking, outside of the microwave.

Nearby the entrance to the kitchen was a phone hanging on the wall.

Stepping into the small living room, she was surprised to find that there was some furniture there! There was a sofa and an average TV sitting on a stand. Between the sofa and TV was a small table with pillows around it to sit on.

Next to the sofa, TV and table was a sliding glass door that led to a small balcony outside. Long curtains hung in front of the sliding glass door.

On the table, there was a note. Setting some of her bags down, she walked over and picked up the note.

_"Cat,_

_We bought you some furniture to start your new life here in Japan. We figured you needed it. We also left you some extra money in your bedroom. It doesn't hurt to buy something for yourself once in a while._

_We love you._

_Love, Grandma and Grandpa_"

Cat smiled.

Her grandparents, on her father's side, lived in Japan. But they didn't live in Domino City. They lived in Kyoto.

"That was nice of them." She said to herself, setting the note back down. "I'll have to call them and thank them."

Moving to her bedroom, she left her bags there.

There was a bed for Cat and a dresser with a clock sitting on it. On the dresser, next to the clock, was the little envelop of money her grandparents had left for her. She decided to leave that there for now.

She moved to the bathroom and poked her head in. There was a shower, toilet, sink and such. There wasn't much there, but her grandparents bought some towels for her to use.

"It looks like I need to go shopping tonight." She mummered to herself. "I'll need to buy some food, shampoo and other things."

Walking back into the bedroom, she looked at the clock and yawned. It was only 5:00pm. Cat stayed awake on the trip to Japan, knowing that Japan's time was completely different from America's time. It was going to take a little while before her sleeping habits matched those of Japan's.

Moving on, she pulled out some money that her parents had given her. She had to get out and go to the store before she was tempted to jump onto the bed and fall asleep.

"Well...onto my new life, I guess."

* * *

It was already dark.

Cat walked along the streets of Domino, carrying a couple of bags in each hand. She didn't shop for much because there was only so much she could hold. She would have to make another trip tomorrow after she enrolled into her new school.

She sighed, knowing she was probably going to be busy for a while.

While she was passing the main square, something stopped her.  
Large TV screens suddenly turned on, revealing a man. He looked a little smug.

"Welcome duelists, to my Battle City tournament!" The man said.

Cat blinked. Oh...she must have walked right into the middle of a tournament announcement.

The man looked like he was only a couple of years older than her.

His hair was brown and his eyes were a cold blue.

She could only see from his waist up, so all she saw was the black sweater he was wearing with belts around the sleeves. Over the sweater, he wore a white, sleeveless trench coat. On one side of his trench coat, there was two small letters; "KC".

And finally, around his neck was a necklace in the shape of a card...the back of a card to be more exact. And it was a card that Cat was familiar with.

"Since you're all elite duelists, I've added special rules to my tournament." The man continued. "You'll use my all new Duel Disks to play; and each duelist must ante up their rarest card. The loser must forfeit their card to the winner."

Cat's attention turned to the large crowd in the square when some of them started to complain about losing their rarest or favorite card.

There was some strange people in the crowd. But apparently they were all duelists.

One of the people caught Cat's eye for a moment.

The man had strange spiky hair that looked like it was three different colors.

Black, gold, and crimson/purple. He also had sharp eyes that were violet. It looked like he was slightly taller than Cat and wore a large golden pendant around his neck in the shape of an upside down pyramid. A chain was holding up the pendant.

The rest of the man's clothes were black. A black buckle collar, a black tang top, black pants with two belts, and black boots.

He had some trinkets on his arms as well.

"What a strange looking person." She mummered to herself. But then again, there was a lot of other strange looking people in the crowd.

Glancing back at the man, she noticed that there was two other women he was standing with.

One of the girls he was standing with had strange short, brown hair. She had blue eyes and wore a pink jacket with a yellow tube top under it. She wore a couple of bracelets and had pink shorts on. She also wore long black leggings with high pink sandals that looked like they were 3-4 inches high! She also carried a bag with her.

The other woman they were talking to. She had messy blond hair and violet sharp eyes. She wore red lipstick and had a purple vest, along with a white tube top under it with white, long, fingerless arm gloves.

She wore a purple skirt with knee-high black high-heeled boots. She also wore a couple of belts.

The woman looked a little tough.

Cat figured they were friends of the spiky-haired man.

Her attention turned back to the TV screens when the man started talking again.

"My competition will make Pegasus's Duelist Kingdom look like a joke!"

The was the last thing the man said before suddenly, a strong wind picked up and the sound of a helicopter filled everyone's ears.

Looking up, there was the man who was on the TV screens. He was standing on the landing strut, looking down at everyone.

"Everyone make sure to register and pick up your Duel Disks, because Battle City begins in one week from today!" The man cried before the helicopter started to fly off back into the sky.

Once the helicopter was out of sight, everyone talked among themselves and started to leave the area.

"That's my cue to leave." Cat said to herself before walking back towards her new home.

* * *

8:30am, the alarm clock went off.

Cat groaned and sat up in her bed. She was still very tired and didn't want to wake up. But she had to.

Getting out of bed, she turned off the alarm clock and got ready for the day.

After she had gotten ready and eaten a small breakfast, she called her parents to let them know that she arrived to Domino City safely.

That day, she decided to wear a white shirt and another pair of blue jeans with the same tan jacket; zipped up. Along with her tennis shoes and cartouche.

The cartouche, she always wore and only took it off to take a shower, swim and sleep.

Taking some money with her, some papers and the apartment key, she left her home and locked the door behind her. She was heading to Domino High School first.

* * *

By the time she got there, classes were in session, so she didn't have to worry about other students staring at her.

Once she met the teachers, she got a tour of the school and received her school uniform, along with a student handbook.

A few days before Cat flew to Japan, she had the Domino High School entrance exam sent to her so she could take it and send it in early. She passed.

"All right Ms. Tsuru. You're all set. We'll see you tomorrow as a student." One of the teachers said, shaking Cat's hand.

"Thank you very much." Cat said with a small smile.

When Cat left the teacher's office, it was lunchtime. Students were walking around the hallways, chatting, eating food, or going outside.

Cat kept her eyes close to the ground so she wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. Although she could feel some of the people's eyes on her.

Once she left the building, she lifted her head up again, and while she was making her way towards the school gate, something caught her eye.

It was that guy and girl she saw the other day! Only this time, there were two other guys with them.

She stopped and stared at the group of friends.

The girl with the brown hair was there and the two other guys she didn't recognize. One had blond hair that was a little shaggy and messy, with brown eyes. While the other had brown hair that seemed to come out to a point, almost looking like a beak. His eyes were brown as well.

Cat recognized the spiky hair on the other guy. But...he seemed...different. He was shorter than Cat now and his hair seemed slightly different. His eyes were also more innocent looking and less sharp.

How strange...was this the same guy?

"Maybe he's the other guy's sibling?" She mummered to herself.

Regardless, the four friends were all wearing the Domino High School uniforms.

The girl's uniform was a white button-up blouse with a blue bow at the collar. Over the blouse was a pink, long sleeved, button-up jacket.

For the bottom half of the outfit was a blue, pleated mini-skirt.

The socks and shoes was up to the student. The girl in the group of friends had brown shoes and knee-high, white socks.

Cat figured that the brown shoe and white knee-high socks was a good look to go with. She decided she would try that out for herself tomorrow.

The boys' uniform had blue pants and a matching blue jacket. The shirt that the boys wear under it was up to them. As long as the shirt had nothing on it.

The shoes was also the boys' choice. Some of the other male students wore their jackets buttoned up. The boys in the group of friends Cat was watching seemed to prefer the jacket unbuttoned and open.

Cat didn't stop staring at them until the spiky-haired boy looked at her. Cat tensed up and quickly looked away, moving on.

"_Ack...they saw me staring at them!_" She thought to herself, quickening her walk.

Daring to glance back, she looked over her shoulder at the group. They were all staring at her now.

She quickly turned her head back around and blushed to herself, embarrassed as she left the school area.

* * *

**So there's the first chapter! Sorry if it was dull. As I said in the Introduction that things would start to move in the second chapter. I hope you're enjoying the story so far!  
The beginning of this version of Eternal Snow is very, very different, isn't it? I feel that it's better too. :D**

**See you next chapter! :D  
**


	3. Unexpected Friends

Taking a deep breath, Cat stepped through the school gates.

It was a new day and Cat's first day as a Domino High School student.

Of course, she was feeling very nervous.

Watching all the other female students, most of them seemed to have the white knee-high socks with the brown shoes, like the girl she saw yesterday did.

Good. Cat was wearing the same shoes and socks, so at least she was wearing something common.

The only thing she was wearing was uncommon was the silver cartouche she kept around her neck.

Cat took a deep breath again and continued walking. She was wearing the school's uniform for the first time and her hair was in it's usual ponytail, ending at her waist.

Some of the other students glanced at her. Even though Cat didn't like the attention, it was only natural. She was a new student after all.

She gripped her new brown, schoolbag tightly.

Stepping in the shoe locker area, she pulled out a piece of paper with her locker number on it. After a moment of looking around, she finally found it.

Opening it up, inside was her brand new white, inside school shoes. She always though it was weird that Japanese schools had different shoes for inside and outside. She figured that they just wanted to keep their floors clean.

Taking her current shoes off, she slipped on her new ones and placed her outside shoes in her locker, shutting it.

After she stepped away from her locker, the first bell rang.

It was time to go to her classroom.

* * *

It took only two steps before Cat wanted to turn around and leave the classroom.

But her feet betrayed her, making her stay put.

The reason for her sudden shock was the fact that there was four certain people sitting and standing around a small group of desks.

It was the group of friends from yesterday.

The blond haired boy, the brown haired girl, the brown haired boy and the spiky haired boy were all there. They hadn't noticed Cat though.

"_Ugh...why do I keep on running into them?_" She thought to herself as she slowly continued into the classroom, hoping not to draw attention to herself.

She was supposed to talk to the teacher...but he wasn't there. Where was he?

Cat stood nearby the teacher's stand, confused.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a young man, tapping her shoulder. She jumped and quickly looked at the boy.

"Um...you're a new student, right?" He asked.

Cat nodded once.

"Y-Yes." She answered.

"Then...aren't you supposed to meet the teacher in the teacher's office?" He asked.

Cat didn't reply for a moment before she gasped.

"Th-that's right! Oh no, I forgot!" She cried to herself.

The boy laughed.

"It's no problem. That mistake is made every once in a while." He said.

"Thank you for letting me know. I-I'd better go." Cat said quickly before rushing out of the room.

* * *

A heavy sigh filled the air as Cat slid down against a tree until she was sitting on the grass.

It was finally lunchtime.

Putting her lunch on her lap, Cat reviewed the day. So far, it wasn't that great.

After she went to the teacher's office, the teacher made Cat stand up in front of the class and introduce herself. She wasn't too happy about doing that, even though she should have seen it coming.

Not only that, but when she was asked to write something on the chalk board, she tripped and fell on the way to the board.

Cat sighed again and rubbed her head.

"I just keep on embarrassing myself." She mummered to herself. "Hopefully the day will only get better."

After she was finished talking to herself, she finally started eating her home made lunch. Since she couldn't cook, it wasn't anything special.

Half-way through her lunch, she heard some students sitting down for lunch behind her. Peeking from behind the tree she was sitting at, she couldn't really see who they were because of the bushes in her way. Sitting up a little more, she could finally see the top of their heads. Once she saw that, she immediately sat back down and pressed her back against the tree.

"_Why...why...WHY? It's THEM again!_" She groaned to herself in her thoughts.

Indeed, behind her and the bushes, was the group of four.

It sounded like they were already talking about something.

"Oh MAN! I can't wait until school is out! It's time to register for the Battle City tournament!" One of the boys cried.

"I'll bet you'll only last two minutes in the tournament, Jounouchi." One of the other guys said.

"Shut up, Honda! Just you wait! I'll be one of the finalists!" The one whose name was apparently Jounouchi, snapped.

"Don't start arguing guys. Don't forget. This tournament will be much more than just a regular tournament." The girl said.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it Anzu. There's going to be someone really evil there, blah, blah..." Jounouchi said, obviously not caring of Anzu's comment.

"Anzu's right, Jounouchi. The tournament may even be dangerous." The last guy said.

"I know, man. But if it's anything like Duelist Kingdom, then it'll be a piece of cake!" Jounouchi said with confidence.

"For all we know, it'll be worse than Duelist Kingdom. And we had trouble getting through that tournament." Anzu said.

"That's true." Honda said. "Hey Yugi. What does the Pharaoh think about all this?" Honda asked.

"I haven't really talked to him about it. But so far, he thinks the same thing we do." The boy, who's name was Yugi, said.

Cat frowned a little.

"_Pharaoh...? What the heck are they talking about?_" She thought to herself and looked at her necklace. "_Hm. Everytime I hear the word, "Pharaoh", it reminds me of the story grandma told me about this necklace..._"

"Yeah. But whatever happens, happens. Even if it does worry me." Anzu said. "Hey guys. Did anyone else realize that the new girl is the same girl we saw yesterday?"

This caught Cat's attention.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I noticed." Jounouchi said. "But if you ask me, she seems like one of those creepy shy girls."

Cat winced.

"_Ouch..._" She thought to herself.

"C'mon Jounouchi. That's not a nice thing to say." Yugi said.

"I know. Sorry. But that was the first impression I got from her." Jounouchi said, a careless tone in his voice.

"But you have to admit, man. She was kinda cute." Honda mentioned.

Cat sweatdropped.

"Since she seems shy, I wonder if she'll have any trouble making friends around here." Anzu wondered out loud.

"I don't know. But that seems to be the case with most shy people. Maybe we can talk to her sometime soon." Yugi suggested.

Cat didn't move.

"_They seem like nice people. Hm. Well, I'd better stop eavesdropping...it's rude._" She thought to herself after she finished her lunch.

Quickly and quietly gathering her stuff, she left the area. But not unnoticed.

"Hey guys...did you hear something?" Jounouchi asked.

"Kinda." Anzu admitted.

"It sounds like someone's behind us." Yugi said.

Honda stood up and looked around the area.

"Maybe it was an animal or something, because I don't see anyone." He said, sitting back down.

"Probably." Yugi said. "Well...if it was someone...I hope they didn't hear what we were talking about."

* * *

"School's over...finally..." Cat sighed to herself, replacing her indoor school shoes with her normal ones.

Cat had left the classroom quickly. The rest of the day didn't get better like she had hoped and all she could think about was going home and resting.

After she put on her shoes, she quickly walked down the front path and towards the school gates.

While she walked down the streets of Domino, she didn't give a second thought about school. She was tired and was letting her mind wander.

In fact, she was letting her mind wander too much and wasn't paying attention to other people passing by. She didn't didn't snap back to reality until she ran into someone.

"WATCH IT!" The man yelled.

Cat looked up at the man.

He didn't seem...normal. The man was tall and strong looking, but his whole outfit was a long purple robe with a gold chain on the front. The man wore the hood over his head, so she was unable to clearly see his face, for it was hidden in the shadows. But what she could see from his face, was that he looked almost...evil.

"I-I'm sorry." Cat stuttered.

Instead of continuing on, the man examined Cat for a moment until his eyes locked onto something. It took Cat a moment to realize that he was staring at her necklace.

The man's angry look soon turned into a scary grin.

"Hmph." Was all he said before continuing on.

Cat watched him as he left and put a hand to her quickly beating heart.

"Who..." She couldn't finish the question. Instead, she felt that it would be better if she just returned home. Quickly.

* * *

"The new girl left the school pretty quickly." Honda said.

The four friends were now walking home.

"Maybe she had somewhere she had to be." Yugi guessed.

"Probably. Or maybe she really is just a creepy shy girl." Jounouchi said with a grin.

"Shut up." Anzu said.

Honda Hiroto was the brown haired boy with the beak-like hair. He was 16 and was best friends with Jounouchi.

Out of the group of four, he was one of the two that didn't play the game, "Duel Monsters". But he cheered for them on the side-lines.

Honda tends to be fairly normal. If you don't count his huge love of food.

Anzu Mazaki was the brown haired girl. She was 16 as well and like Honda, she didn't play Duel Monsters. She loves her friends very much and would rather cheer for her friends on the side-lines than duel. She was closest with Yugi and had a crush on him and his "other-self".

Anzu was kind-hearted and was the voice of reason within the group. She's very smart and tends to be the responsible one, keeping Jounouchi and Honda (mostly Jounouchi) in line when needed.

Jounouchi Katsuya was the blond haired boy. He's 16 as well and is best friend's with Yugi.

He loves to play Duel Monsters and aims to become a great duelist.

Jounouchi used to be a troublemaker and bully Yugi. But when Yugi stood up and was beat up for him, he became his friend. And after they became friends, Jounouchi changed and stopped being a troublemaker.  
Jounouchi isn't all the bright, but he has a kind heart and is loyal to his friends. Like Honda, he's a huge food lover.

Yugi Motou was the spiky-haired boy. Even though he didn't look like it, he was 16 as well. He was just short for his age. Yugi loves and cares for all of his friends.

He's also the best duelist out of them all. And currently the best duelist in the world. The last Duel Monster's tournament he was in gave him the title, "King of Games". Even though he doesn't seem to get to play the game for fun very often, he still loves to play it.

Yugi is very kind-hearted and always puts his friends and family before himself. Yugi was also an owner of one of the seven Millennium Items, which were created in Ancient Egypt.

Yugi owned the Millennium Puzzle, which held the spirit of a 3,000 year old Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh within it. Yugi always wore the Millennium Puzzle around his neck on a chain.

There was a problem though. The Pharaoh had lost his memories when he sealed his soul within the Millennium Puzzle. So he didn't know who he was or anything about his past. They only knew he was a Pharaoh because of a visit to a museum that had some information about his past. A woman named Ishizu, who was the owner of the Ancient Egypt exhibit, explained some things to them. She was also an owner of a Millennium Item as well. The Millennium Necklace, which allowed her to see the past and future.

The Pharaoh shared the title, "King of Games" with Yugi, for he was a master at the game. But that wasn't the only thing they shared. Yugi and the Pharaoh shared the same body.

With the upcoming Battle City tournament, the Pharaoh and his friends were on a journey to learn more about who the Pharaoh was and to defeat a certain evil...

Since Yugi and his friends didn't know the Pharaoh's real name, they either called him:

"Spirit", "Pharaoh", "Other Yugi", "Yugi" or "Yami".

"Y'know guys...maybe she's the type of person who likes to be left alone." Honda suggested.

"Maybe...that would be kind of sad though." Anzu said. "Hmm. Do you think she's interested in Ancient Egypt?"

"Why do you ask?" Yugi asked.

"Well...I noticed that she was wearing a cartouche. You know. The Pharaoh's in Ancient Egypt would wear those. It always had their names carved on them." Anzu explained.

"Oh I see. She could be. Or she could have gotten that as a gift or just because." Jounouchi said.

"Possibly." Yugi said before stopping. "What the...?"

The other three stopped and looked at Yugi.  
"What is it, pal?" Jounouchi asked.  
Yugi was staring at something across the street.

"Look!" He exclaimed, pointing at someone.

The others followed where he was pointing and spotted a man in a long purple robe!

"Hey! That guy...he looks just like Bandit Keith did!" Honda cried.

"What's he doing here?" Anzu asked, surprised. "Is it Bandit Keith?"

"It might not be. It could be a follower of whoever that man was." Yugi said, remembering the day when he met and dueled against Bandit Keith, who was being mind controlled by someone. He frowned.

"Should we approach him?" Honda asked.

"No. That could be dangerous." Yugi said. "Battle City is just around the corner. So we shouldn't be surprised to see these guys walking around."

Without another glance at the man, Yugi continued on, his friends following.

* * *

The next day seemed to come quickly...and yet so much had happened.

After Yugi and Jounouchi registered for the Battle City tournament and got their Duel Disks, Jounouchi went off by himself to see his younger sister, Shizuka at the hospital. She was having a surgery for her eyes and Jounouchi promised her that he would be there.

But on his way to the hospital, Jounouchi encountered a group of strange men. They were all wearing the long purple robes with the gold chains on them. They called themselves, the "Rare Hunters".

One of them forced Jounouchi into a duel and won. After knocking him down, they stole his favorite duel monsters card, the "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" and left.

Feeling a personal failure of sorts, he felt like he couldn't face his sister and didn't go to the hospital.

Since he didn't go, Shizuka refused to have the operation until Jounouchi was there.

Shizuka and Jounouchi used to live together like normal brother and sister when they were children, but their parents got divorced and Jounouchi's mother left with Shizuka, leaving Jounouchi with his drunk father.

The siblings still loved each other very much and were saddened by their separation.

Because Shizuka refused to have the operation until her older brother arrived, Shizuka and Jounouchi's mother tried to find Jounouchi.

Unable to contact him, she contacted Yugi.

She reported that he was missing and Yugi, Honda and Anzu went out to find him.

After a while of searching, Honda found Jounouchi at the beach and knocked some sense into him. Afterwards, he took Jounouchi to the hospital, passing by Yugi and Anzu, letting them know that Jounouchi was found. He then arrived at the hospital to apologize to his sister and stay there to be with her.

Yugi and Anzu decided to head back to the Game Shop; which was also Yugi's home. His grandfather, Solomon Motou, owned the gameshop. The Game Shop sold Duel Monster cards.

"I'm glad that Honda was able to find Jounouchi. I think Shizuka will be happy to see her brother again." Anzu said as she walked down the sidewalk with Yugi.

"Yeah." Yugi nodded.

The two didn't say anything more for a while.

Once they were about to pass a bookshop, Anzu stopped.

"Hey, Yugi? There was something I wanted to see at the bookstore. So I think I'm going to go inside for a moment. If you want to go ahead, you can." She said.

"No, I'll go with you." Yugi said walking into the bookstore with Anzu.

After walking through some hallways, Anzu wasn't sure if she was going to find what she was looking for. But that didn't matter when she spotted a certain someone.

"Yugi...look!" Anzu exclaimed, pointing to the other side of the room. "Isn't that...?"

There, flipping through a book, was Cat.

Since there was no school that day, Cat wanted explore the city and she happened to stop by the bookstore.

She yawned.

"Maybe I should have slept in today instead." She muttered to herself, putting the book back on the shelf.

"It's...Cat! The new girl." Yugi said. "Let's go say hi."

Yugi and Anzu walked up to Cat.

"Hey! Cat, right?"

Cat jumped, suddenly being snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the two.

She immediately recognized them.

"O-Oh...hello." Cat said.

"We're in the same class, so we wanted to say hi to you at school, but we couldn't find you." Anzu said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Anzu Mazaki."

"And I'm Yugi Motou. It's nice to meet you." Yugi said with a smile as well.

Cat smiled weakly at them.

"Nice to meet you two. You probably already know, but I'm Cat Tsuru." She laughed weakly and stopped when she remembered what Jounouchi said about her. "U-um...sorry if I appear creepy...I'm just kinda shy with people I don't know."

Yugi and Anzu sweatdropped, also remembering Jounouchi's comment.

"N-No! You're not creepy at all!" Yugi laughed nervously. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Y-Yeah! You seem pretty normal to me!" Anzu laughed as well. "Being shy is common in some people. Don't worry about it. We understand."

Cat smiled.

"Thanks." She said.

"So you're new to Domino City, right? How do you like it so far?" Anzu asked.

"Well, this is only my third day here...but it seems like a nice city so far. Although with me being shy and all, it's...hard to make friends." Cat replied.

"No problem! Maybe we can become your first friends here." Anzu said.

Yugi nodded in agreement.

"I'd like that." Cat said.

"There's so much to talk about. Me and Anzu were heading back to my grandfather's shop. Wanna come with us?" Yugi asked.

Cat thought for a moment. She thought it was odd that they wanted to be her friend all of the sudden. But they seemed friendly...maybe chatting with them for a while wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Sure." Cat said. "I have nothing else to do anyways."

"Great! Let's go!" Yugi said.

The three walked out of the bookshop.

"So...what kind of shop does your grandfather own?" Cat asked Yugi.

"Have you ever heard of the game, "Duel Monsters"?" Yugi asked.

Cat thought for a moment.

"Yes...I have. But the game wasn't very popular where I used to live." She answered.

"Well, my grandpa sells Duel Monster cards. The game is very popular here in Domino City." Yugi explained.

"That's what the Battle City tournament is about, right? Duel Monsters?" Cat asked.

"Yup. And I'm competing in it with another friend." Yugi replied. "Me and Anzu have two other close friends named Jounouchi and Honda. We'll have to introduce them to you soon."

"Oh...I see. I'd like to meet them." Cat said. "So, you're a fan of Duel Monsters?"

"Uh-huh. I grew up with my grandfather since my father is always overseas on business. And my grandfather used to be a champion of the game. So he taught me everything he knows." Yugi answered. "I can't help but love the game now."

"Not only that but Yugi participated in a recent tournament called the "Duelist Kingdom" tournament. Yugi won that tournament and earned the title, "King of Games"." Anzu said almost proudly. "So currently, he holds the title of the best duelist in the world."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing! It's an honor." Cat said with a light laugh.

A while later, the three finally reached the game shop and went inside.

"Grandpa! I'm home!" Yugi called.

A short, old man walked into the room.

"Welcome home, Yugi! And hello to you too Anzu." He greeted and glanced at Cat. "Ho, ho! Who's this?"

"This is a new friend of ours, Cat." Yugi introduced. "She moved to Domino a couple of days ago."

"H-Hello. It's very nice to meet you Mr...uh..." Cat wasn't sure what his name was.

"I'm Solomon Motou. But you can call me "Mr. Motou" or "Grandpa"." Solomon chuckled. Cat smiled.

Solomon had big violet eyes and spiky gray hair. He kept most of his hair in a dark green head bandanna though. He also had a little gray mustache too.

He wore a light gray shirt with dark green overalls and black boots. Solomon was a little chubby as well. His bangs were similar to Yugi's.

"Make yourselves at home, kids." Solomon chuckled. "I have to get back to work and sweep the front of the shop." He grabbed a nearby broom and walked past the three and out the front doors.

"Follow me." Yugi said to the two other girls and walked through a side door in the shop. The two followed.

Once Cat stepped through the door, she realized that it led into the house that was connected to the game shop. Yugi's house.

After removing their shoes and leaving them at the front door, they walked into the living room.

"We can talk more here." Yugi said, sitting down in one of the chairs.

Anzu sat in another chair while Cat sat down on the sofa.

"So Cat...there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while..."

* * *

**Well! There we go! I'm not going to post everything at once. But I hope you're enjoying this so far. :D  
And things finally started moving! Yay!**

**See ya next chapter! :D  
**


	4. In the Hands of the Rare Hunters

Cat looked at Anzu.

"What did you want to ask me?" She asked.

Anzu pointed to Cat's necklace.  
"I noticed you were wearing a cartouche. Do you happen to be a fan of Ancient Egypt?" She asked.

Cat looked down at her necklace.

"Oh...not really. This is actually a family heirloom." She answered. "It's 100% authentic."

"Completely authentic...so...you mean to say...that your family has had that cartouche since..." Yugi started.

"Yes." Cat answered. "This cartouche is around 3,000 years old. Made in Ancient Egypt."

Yugi and Anzu's eyes grew big.  
"WHHHAAAAAAAAAT?!?" They both cried at the same time.

Cat tilted her head in confusion.

"Is...is that weird?" She asked.

"W-Well...it's just that the cartouche looks...almost new." Yugi stuttered, still surprised. "And yet you say it's been in your family for 3,000 years?"

Cat nodded.  
"Yes."

"It was very well kept." Anzu said, calming down. "So...what's written on it? Was your family Egyptian royalty 3,000 years ago?"

"No..." Cat shook her head. "The story behind this cartouche is...interesting I guess you could say."

"Tell us. I'd like to hear." Anzu said.

"Me too." Yugi added in.

Cat sighed.

"Alright."

Cat went on to explain the story about Luna and her love, who was a Pharaoh. She also explained that the cartouche was a symbol of their love.

She didn't forget to mention the strange name change that the cartouche had. And how the Pharaoh's name on the back could not be translated.

"So...that's the story. What happened to Luna was kind of sad." Anzu said.

"Yeah. But I guess we were right in a way. You did come from a line of royalty." Yugi said, chuckling.

Cat smiled a little.  
"Yeah, but it's not like it means anything here in the present time." She said.

"I guess so. Although there's something that's bugging me." Yugi admitted. "You said that the Pharoah's name on the back couldn't be read, right?"

Cat nodded.

"Something about the cartouche bugs me as well." Anzu said. "How weird is it that the cartouche would say "Luna" for a long time and then suddenly change into "Cat"?"

"It's very weird to me. And I don't understand it either. All I can think of is that it's just a strange coincidence." Cat said.

Yugi frowned in thought.

"Three Thousand years ago..." He mummered.

Yami, the Pharaoh, appeared next to Yugi in his spirit form.

When he did that, only Yugi could see and hear him. They communicated a lot this way.

Yami, was who Cat saw the night of the Battle City announcement.

"Is something wrong, Yugi?" He asked. Unlike Yugi who had a higher pitched voice, Yami had a deep and commanding voice. It fit his personality well.

"Three Thousand years ago is a long time. Do you think that maybe Cat's family history could have occurred in your time as Pharaoh?" Yugi asked.

Yami thought for a moment.  
"I'm not sure. Remember, my memories as Pharaoh are blank. I can't remember anything from my past." He said. "Whatever happened to Cat's ancestor could have happened while I was still Pharaoh...or it could have happened before or afterwards. We can't be sure."

"I guess you're right." Yugi said. Yami disappeared back into the Millennium Puzzle.

Glancing at Cat and Anzu, it appeared that Cat didn't notice him talking to Yami. Cat was too busy answering one of Anzu's questions. Yugi looked down at the Millennium Puzzle.

"Chances are, Cat is going to find out about you sometime soon." He whispered to the Puzzle.

"We're kind of fans of Ancient Egypt. That's why we asked about your cartouche." Anzu said to Cat.

"I see. I could kind of tell that Yugi is." Cat said looking at Yugi. "I've never seen someone wear a...uh...upside down pyramid?" Cat tilted her head to the side a little, waiting for Yugi to correct her.

Yugi chuckled.

"This is called the "Millennium Puzzle". Like your cartouche, my Puzzle is authentic as well. It was created in Ancient Egyptian times. There's only one of these in the whole world." He explained. "And when my grandfather gave it to me, after he found it in an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh's tomb, it was nothing but a bunch of puzzle pieces. It's took me nearly 8 years to solve it."

Cat blinked, eyes wide in amazement.  
"Wow...it...must be a very hard puzzle. And I'm guessing this is the final result." She said. Yugi nodded. "Huh...looks very well taken care of."

"It's very precious to me, so I try to take good care of it." Yugi said with a smile.

"And it shows." Cat said, returning the smile.

"So Cat. Where do you live?" Anzu asked.

"I live in an apartment by myself." Cat answered.

"By yourself? What happened to your parents?" Yugi asked.

"Well...you see, my parents' job is making them move to Japan. I used to live in America. But mom and dad sent me here by myself because they had to go on a long business trip and we couldn't stay in my old home anymore. So I packed up what I needed and some things I wanted and left with the money my parents gave me." Cat explained. "Once my parents move here, we'll live together and the rest of my stuff will be moved here."

"From America? Wow...my dream is to go to America someday." Anzu said. "But you seem to speak Japanese pretty well."

Cat smiled a little.

"My father is Japanese while my mother is American. With the kind of job my parents have, they figured that they would have to move here someday. So they taught me the language when I was young."

"But...by yourself. Aren't you lonely?" Yugi asked.

Cat looked down at her lap.

"Well...a little. But I'm okay." She answered, looking up. "My grandparents on my father's side live here in Japan, not too far from Domino City. So they called yesterday and told me that if I got lonely they could come and visit me."

Yugi looked a little sad for a moment before smiling.  
"That's good. And besides. You have us now. We can hang out anytime you'd like." He said.

Cat looked surprised for a moment before smiling warmly.

"Thank you...very much." She said. "That makes me happy."

"By the way...when is your parents supposed to come back?" Anzu asked.

"I don't know." Cat replied. "They weren't sure themselves."

"Oh..."

Cat glanced at her watch.

"Speaking of my parents...I'd better go." She said, standing up. "I'm supposed to call my parents soon and then I have some work that needs to be done."

"Oh, okay." Yugi said, standing up as well. "It was very nice meeting you Cat. Oh! Hold on." Yugi walked into another room for a moment and returned with a piece of paper. "We can exchange numbers so we can keep in contact." He held up the paper with his number on it.

"I'll write mine down as well." Anzu said, taking the paper and writing her number on it and handing it to Cat.

"Thanks!" Cat said with a bigger smile. "I'll give you guy's mine too." She tore off the bottom of the paper and wrote her number down, handing it to Yugi.

"Great! So we'll have to meet up again so you can meet Jounouchi and Honda. I'm sure you'll like them." Yugi said.

"I'd like to meet them." Cat said, her body turned towards the door. "Thank you very much again. I'll see you soon."

* * *

"Hmm. That's very interesting and unexpected news."

The room was dark and a man sat in a large golden chair. Around him stood a few men in long purple robes with gold chains on them. All of them wearing their hoods.

These were the Rare Hunters. And the man sitting in the large chair was their leader, Marik Ishtar.

Marik himself wore a long purple robe with a gold chain on it. Even though he was wearing a hood, you could see his face and hair a little.

His skin was tan and his eyes were a piercing violet. The strange thing was, was that this man's hair was a sandy blond. He was obvously Egyptian.

One of his servants was kneeling before him. He had just given Marik information about someone they found in Domino City.

"I never expected that "she" would end up in the picture." Marik said, holding a golden rod with a golden eye at the top. "Is this girl even aware of the connection to the Ancient past she holds?"

"We're not sure, Master Marik." The servant said.

"I see..." Marik said, leaning back into his chair, looking at the golden rod in his hand, turning it around. "I didn't look too much into this girls' ancestor because I would have never guessed that she would even be around. No matter...she'll make perfect bait, whether she knows her connection to the past or not."

"Do you want us to take action, Master Marik?" The servant asked.

Marik thought for a moment.  
"Battle City starts in two days...I suppose we could take action right now." He said. "Yes...find the girl and take her to one of your hideouts in Domino City. When Battle City starts, use her to lure the Pharaoh to us. Whether he knows of her connection or not as well, does not matter. I doubt the Pharaoh can ignore someone in need. And whatever you do, don't lose your grip on that girl. Even if you lose the duel against the Pharaoh. He'll eventually find out who she is. And only then will it make things easier for us."

The servant bowed his head.

"Yes, Master Marik." He said before standing up and leaving to send the message to the Rare Hunters in Domino City.

Marik smirked and chuckled evilly.

* * *

A four days passed by since Cat befriended Yugi and Anzu. Two days after they had met, Yugi called Cat to see if she wanted to meet up that day. Cat couldn't since she her grandparents wanted her to stay at their house on Wednesday. She would be home by Thursday night though.

There was no school until Friday so Cat was able to. She wanted to catch up with her grandparents since she hardly ever got to see them. Yugi understood.

But before they said goodbye, Yugi told Cat about the Battle City tournament and how they were all going to that. There wasn't going to be any school until the tournament was over.

This confused Cat, but she didn't say anything about it.

Yugi then invited her to be with him and his friends during the tournament. After a moment of thought, Cat agreed.

Cat kind of liked Duel Monsters and had her own deck that she got in America as a gift from a friend.

After saying that they should duel sometime, for fun, they said their goodbyes.

It was now Thursday afternoon. Cat stepped out of the train station.

"I guess I arrived earlier than I thought I would." Cat said to herself. She was about to move on until a small group of people caught her eye.

Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu were all waiting for her.

"G-Guys?" She asked, walking up to them. "W...Why are you here? And...how did you know what time to be here?"

"I don't know how your grandparents got my number, but they called me and asked me to meet you here." Yugi explained with a smile.

"I think your grandparents are happy that you made some friends. According to Yugi they seemed worried about you when you first came to Domino. They didn't know how quickly you were going to be able to make friends and how lonely you were going to be if you didn't." Anzu added in.

Cat blinked for a moment, still surprised, until she smiled warmly.  
"I see. Thank you." She said.

"We were all going to go out and do something and we wanted to bring you with us." Yugi said.

"Sure. I'll go with you guys." Cat said.

Yugi smiled.  
"Oh! By the way, these are our other friends we told you about." He gestured to Jounouchi and Honda.

Jounouchi stepped up with a grin.

"Heya! I'm Jounouchi Katsuya! Nice ta finally meetcha Cat!" He said happily.

Honda stood next to him.  
"And I'm Honda Hiroto. Welcome to the group!" He said.

Cat smiled at them.

"Nice to meet both of you." She said.

"Well, now that the introductions are out of the way, how about we get goin'?" Jounouchi said to everyone.

"Oh...um...how about you guys go ahead without me, okay?" Cat said.

Everyone looked at her, confused.

"Why?" Honda asked.

"Well...I just want to drop off my bags at my apartment." Cat said, smiling sheepishly. "Where should I meet up with you guys?"

"We planned on heading over to the Domino arcade. Do you know where that is?" Yugi asked.

Cat thought for a moment.  
"Yeah, I think I do. I passed by it on my way to the bookstore where I met you guys." She said.

"Awright! Then it's settled! Let's go!" Jounouchi cried happily.

"If you get lost or forget the way, just give me a call. I always have my cell phone with me." Anzu said.

"Okay. I will. Thanks." Cat nodded.

* * *

Cat walked out of her apartment building and sighed.

"A nice change of clothes feels better." She muttered to herself.

She was wearing one of her favorite outfits now.

Her hair was in it's usual ponytail and she wore a blue, zip-up, sleeveless, turtleneck vest. Her jeans were a very dark blue-green; and with that she wore tennis shoes. Around her waist was a black belt with a medium sized, silver, square belt buckle.

The silver cartouche she always wore was there.

"I don't have my watch with me...so I hope I'm not late." She said to herself.

While she ran jogged down the streets, she failed to notice three men lurking in the shadows.

After jogging around for a half-hour, Cat stopped to catch her breath. She kneeled over, hands on knees and gasped for breath.

"I...think...I took...a wrong turn...some...where..." She panted to herself, glancing around.

She was at the Domino Port. Certainly not where she wanted to be.

Letting out another sigh, she finally caught her breath. She was about to turn and leave until a hand was suddenly clamped over her mouth!

Cat's eyes widened and she immediately started to struggle for her freedom. As she tried to break free, her hands were suddenly grabbed, making so she couldn't move them!

But she didn't stop struggling. As she continued, she noticed two other shady men standing in front of her.

Wait...she recognized them...they were dressed the same as that man she ran into on her way home from school last week!

One of the Rare Hunters smirked.

"We got her. Let's take her back to the warehouse." He said.

Cat's eyes widened in fear.

* * *

"Uhh...so...it's been an hour and a half. Do you think she got lost?" Jounouchi asked.

The four stood around in the arcade together. While waiting a few of them had already played a couple of games. But there was no sign of Cat.

"I dunno. I can't get ahold of her...and she would have called us if she got lost." Anzu said, holding her cell phone. "I'm worried, guys."

"Me too. Maybe we should go look for her?" Yugi suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jounouchi said. "We three can split up and look for her. Anzu, you should stay here in case she comes."

Anzu nodded.

"Alright then gang. Let's head out!" Honda said.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! :D See ya next chapter!**


	5. The Birth of Battle City

Sunset.

The four friends stood around Yugi's house. They had just arrived there.

"Okay. Now I'm seriously worried." Anzu said. "It's been hours and still no sign of Cat."

"We looked all over the place." Jounouchi said. "But we didn't see her."

"Do you think something happened to her?" Honda asked.

"I hope not." Yugi said. "We...haven't checked her apartment yet. Let's look there."

Everyone nodded and headed out.

It didn't take too long for the four friends to find Cat's apartment.

They knocked on her door. No answer.

Jounouchi tried opening the door.

"It's locked." He said, letting go of the doorknob.

"I wonder if Cat ran across an emergency or something." Yugi said. "I guess we have no choice but to head home and see if she shows up at school tomorrow."

The four friends looked at each other with concern for their newest friend.

* * *

Cat did now show up at school the next day. This made Yugi and his friends even more worried than before.

After school they tried searching for her some more. But still no luck.

It was now Saturday morning. The beginning of the Battle City finals.

Yugi stood in the town square with the other duelists, looking down at the ground.

"I don't get it. What happened?" He asked himself.

Yami appeared next to Yugi in spirit.

"You and your friends decided to call the police last night, right? We have no choice but to wait and see if the police find her." He said to Yugi.

"I know." Yugi replied. "But I can't help but worry. All of us can't help it. Cat's our friend now and all of the sudden she disappears."

Yami stared at Yugi for a moment.

"We'll find her. I promise. Don't worry. Worrying has never done anything for anyone." He said.

"That's true. Thanks Pharaoh." Yugi said. Yami smiled a little and nodded, disappearing back into the Millennium Puzzle.

"Hey Yugi!"

The blond haired woman that Cat saw with Yugi and Anzu for the first time, ran up to Yugi, waving.

"Oh...hey Mai." Yugi said with a weak smile.

* * *

"The Battle City tournament is finally starting."

"Yes. It's time to do our job."

Two Rare Hunters nodded to each other.

"I'll go find the Pharaoh." One of the Rare Hunters said, leaving the building.

The other one walked out of the room and down a hallway, stopping in front of a door.

Unlocking the door, he opened it. Inside was Cat, sitting against a wall, her face buried in her knees. She lifted her head when she heard the door open.

The Rare Hunter grinned.  
"Hello sweetheart. I'm going to take you out for a little "fresh air" soon." He chuckled.

* * *

"Yeah! Yugi won! He beat Exodia!"

"He may have beaten Exodia, but there's one card he'll never beat. And I'm the one holding it."

Two males stood in a large control room with a huge screen, where they were keeping track of the Battle City tournament duels. Around them were women who looked exactly the same, except for their hair colors. They were working on computers. Employees.

One of the males was very tall and had cold eyes. Yes, this was the man Cat saw on the TV screen and helicopter on her first night in Domino City. His name was Seto Kaiba. He was the owner and CEO of a rich gaming company called, "Kaiba Corp." and he was only around 17 years of age.

He was wearing the same outfit that he wore on the night he announced the Battle City tournament.

Kaiba was always serious and was very prideful. Not only that, but he was Yugi's rival in Duel Monsters. Kaiba wanted to be the champion of the game. To take that title away from Yugi.

Kaiba was an orphan when he was a child. The only family he had was his little brother, Mokuba Kaiba.

Mokuba was standing next to Kaiba. Mokuba was very smart for his age, for he was only 11-13 years of age. He had long and black shaggy hair and big and sharp gray-violet eyes. His skin was a slightly darker tone than his older brother's.

He wore a white and blue, long-sleeved, striped shirt and a yellow vest, with blue jeans and tennis shoes. Around his neck, he wore the same necklace as Kaiba. Compared to his older brother, he was a lot shorter.

Kaiba gave Mokuba the job as the Battle City commissioner. He was to make sure no one was breaking any rules.

Kaiba smirked at the screen.

"Hmph. That Duel Monsters champion title will soon be mine again." He said.

"Hey. Seto. Are you ready to go? I've been waiting for a while."

A girl walked into the control room. She stood behind Kaiba, hands on her hips and duel disk on her arm.

Kaiba looked over his shoulder at her. Mokuba turned around completely to look at her.

"Oh! Hey Kay!" Mokuba greeted happily.

The girl, Kay, smiled.

"Hey Mokie." She greeted.

Her full name was Kay Simms.

She had short dark blond hair with blond streaks, which were lighter than her original hair color. In her hair was a small dark blue flower clip.

Her eyes were an emerald green and she was tall and thin. Her skin was pale and she had a small circular scar on her forehead.

Besides the duel disk on her arm, she was wearing a navy blue, stomach bearing tube top with a white jacket over it. She wore a black belt with her blue jeans and black boots And finally, around her neck was a dark blue choker with a white, round, emblem on it. On the emblem was a small, blue water drop.

Kay was a close friend of the Kaiba family and often looked after Mokuba when Kaiba couldn't. Even though Kaiba knew that Mokuba could probably take care of himself, ever since Pegasus kidnapped him from before, he didn't want to take any chances. Plus Mokuba seemed to really like Kay. It all worked out fine.

Kay and Kaiba often argued a lot, but besides that, they were very close. Even though neither would even consider saying anything about it, Mokuba suspected that Kay and Kaiba had feelings for each other. But he had no proof outside of the fact that they were very close.

Kay was an extremely strong duelist and was the only other one who had three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in her deck, other than Kaiba himself.

Pegasus J. Crawford was Kay's uncle and he had made three more Blue-Eyes White Dragons just for her for her birthday one year. She treasured them and they were her favorite cards.

The small scar on her forehead came from her abusive father when she was little. She now lived by herself in an apartment. Kay had a little sister named Adelinda. She looked similar to Kay and she was about Mokuba's age. She's currently staying with their uncle.

The pay that Kaiba gave her allowed her to keep up with her needs. The School payment, the apartment payment, food, and all those other bills.

Kay was also an excellent cook.

Kay frowned a little.  
"You were watching Yugi Motou's first duel, huh? You and your obsession." She sighed.

Kaiba turned and walked past Kay.

"Let's go." He said.

Kay shook her head and followed.

Mokuba watched them leave.

"Well. Looks like I should get to work too." He mummered, taking his leave as well.

* * *

Shards of ripped up Duel Monster cards floated down in front of someone's feet. It was Yami's. He was looking angrily at a Rare Hunter whom he just defeated in a Duel.

The Rare Hunter Yami just defeated was the one that stole Jounouchi's favorite card, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, on the night of Shizuka's surgery. Yami had retrieved the card from the Rare Hunter.

Yami had discovered that the Rare Hunter was cheating with marked cards. And after pulling out Jounouchi's card, Yami ripped up the Rare Hunter's deck.

The Rare Hunter was clutching his head.

All of the sudden, he screamed out. "FORGIVE ME MASTER!"

The Rare Hunter jumped up to his feet and the Millennium Symbol glowed on his forehead. Suddenly, the Rare Hunter stopped screaming and his arms dropped down, his face now holding a blank look.

"Remember me, Pharaoh?" The Rare Hunter said. But...it wasn't the Rare Hunter's voice...someone was controlling him! "Congratulations on defeating my Rare Hunter. But he was only the weakest of my duelists."

"The weakest?!" Jounouchi cried.

"My other duelists will prove much more formidable. I've waited for you for years. And finally I will destroy you!" The voice said. "Right now, I've trapped the Rare Hunter's mind in the Shadow Realm."

The mysterious man proved his control by making the Rare Hunter dance like a broken doll.

"How are you controlling the Rare Hunter?" Yami asked.

"All of the Millennium Items have their own power. And the power of the Millennium Rod is mind control!" The voice explained. "My name is Marik."

Yami frowned at the mind controlled Rare Hunter.

"I'm sure you've heard the God cards, correct? There is one loose, here in Battle City. If you come up against it, you will be destroyed." Marik said. "And by the way...it appears you're not keeping the girl on a tight enough leash, Pharaoh."

"The girl? What are you talking about?" Yami asked, looking slightly confused and angry.

"As I suspected. You're not aware of that connection to your past. Well, it matters not." Marik replied. "Hasn't there been a friend of yours that's been missing?"

Yami's eyes widened.

"Cat...Marik! You...!"

Marik laughed. "That's right. She's within my possession."

"What?! You mean this freak kidnapped Cat two days ago?! You jerk! What could you possibly want with Cat?!" Jounouchi snapped.

"You fool...doesn't it make any sense? She makes the perfect bait. It's a shame you don't know of the girl's importance to your past, Pharaoh. It would have made the game all the more fun." Marik said. "Either way though...I'll still get what I want."

"Importance to my past...? Ishizu didn't mention anything about someone like that." Yami muttered to himself.

"If you wish to free her, then you must find the Rare Hunter that's waiting for you north of the city square. And you must come alone. If you fail to do either one of these commands, then I can't say you'll ever see your friend again." Marik said.

"Yug, this is obviously a trap! Let's come up with a plan first!" Jounouchi said to Yami.  
Yami shook his head.  
"No. It'll be fine. I'll go alone." He said and looked at Marik. "You have a deal."

"Excellent. Hurry now. My Rare Hunters are waiting for you." Marik said. "Let's begin the game. I'm looking forward to playing with you."

With that, Marik let go of his control on the Rare Hunter. The Rare Hunter dropped to the group, unconscious.

Yami turned to Jounouchi and held out the Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"Here Jounouchi. This is yours." He said.

Jounouchi shook his head.

"No Yug. I can't accept that. I won't accept it until I become a True Duelist." He smiled. "You hold onto it for a while. I plan on becoming a True Duelist through this tournament. And until then, hold onto Red-Eyes for me. After that...I want you to duel me."

Yami blinked before smiling.  
"I understand. We'll wait until then." He said.

"Thank's Yug." Jounouchi said with a smile before his face turned serious. "Oh and...be careful when you go to meet that Rare Hunter."

"I will."

After the two shake hands, they parted.

Just as the two left the city square, Anzu just arrived.

She was to meet up with everyone at the beginning of Battle City. But she overslept.

"Argh! I missed them!" She groaned to herself, running off to find them.

* * *

North of the City Plaza was where Yami was.

He walked down the alleyways where there was practically no one.

Yugi was next to him in spirit.  
"I can't believe this!" He cried. "Marik kidnapped Cat in such a short amount of time!"

"What bothers me is that he claims that she has a connection to my past." Yami mummered.

"That's confusing me too." Yugi admitted. "What could possibly connect her to your past?"

He thought about this for a moment before a thought hit him.

"Tha-That cartouche!" He whispered.

"What was that Yugi?" Yami asked.

"I think...Cat needs to visit Ishizu." Yugi said.

"Yugi?" Yami asked.

"We'll talk later." Yugi said, looking ahead. "Look! There's the Rare Hunter!"

Yami looked away from Yugi and at the Rare Hunter standing ahead of him. Yugi disappeared back into the Millennium Puzzle. Yami frowned at the Rare Hunter, stopping a few feet away from him.

"Hello Pharaoh." The Rare Hunter greeted. "Follow me." The man turned and began to lead Yami out of the alleyways.

Once they got out of the alleyways, Yami found himself at the Domino Port. The Rare Hunter stood in front of some old warehouses.  
"Alright. I'm here. Now where is Cat?" Yami asked.

The Rare Hunter smirked and walked into the nearby warehouse.

"HEY!" Yami shouted after him.

But seconds after the first Rare Hunter left, another one walked out from between two warehouses. Slung over his shoulder, was Cat. She was unconscious.

"I'm happy to see that you made it, Pharaoh. Don't worry about the girl, she's just taking a little nap right now." The Rare Hunter said, setting Cat down by one of the warehouses and walked up to Yami. "But I'm afraid we can't give her up so easily. You're gonna hafta beat me in a duel to get her back."

Yami glared at the Rare Hunter.

"Fine. If I win, Cat goes free." He said, activating his Duel Disk.

The Rare Hunter smirked.

"And if you lose, then we get to keep the girl AND you must surrender to us." He said, activating his own Duel Disk.

"I won't lose." Yami said.

* * *

"Hey Shizuka!"

Honda walked into a hospital room. It had been a while since Shizuka's operation. The operation was successful and Shizuka was going to be able to take the bandages on her eyes, off soon.

Shizuka looked in Honda's direction. Shizuka was younger than everyone else, but not by much. She was around the age of 14-15.

Her hair was a light brown and her skin was pale. Her hair was straight and long, ending at the bottom of her back. Her bangs were long, split down the sides of her face and ended at her chin. Since she was at the hospital, she was sitting on the hospital bed in pink PJ's. Even though she was wearing bandages over her eyes, her eye color was brown.

Shizuka was a kind and quiet girl.

"I brought a laptop computer with me so we could watch Jounouchi's duels through the internet." He said, sitting down and placing the laptop on a nearby table.

It was obvious to everyone except Shizuka. Honda had a crush on Shizuka.

"But Honda...I can't see with these bandages over my eyes." Shizuka said.

"Don't worry. I'll watch and give you the play-by-play. But first..." Honda sweatdropped. "I need to figure out how to turn the computer on."

* * *

_...What...?_

"I activate my trap card!"

_...Where...am I now...?_

"Wh-What?! You...!"

_...What's happening...?_

Cat's eyes slowly opened.

"Ugh...my head hurts." She whispered to herself.

Not bothering to get up, she scanned the area.

"I'm still at the port...but...there's a couple of people over there."

Sitting up, she looked at the two men. She gasped.

"Th-That's...the Rare Hunter! And...is that...Yugi...?" She said to herself. "No...that's...the man I saw at the Battle City announcement...that night."

Yami and the Rare Hunter were in the middle of their duel.

"He's taller, looks different and his voice is a lot deeper...can't be Yugi. Is he related to Yugi?" She wondered to herself and stopped when she spotted the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. She gasped again. Why did he have that? Yugi said it was his precious treasure...and that there was only one in the entire world! Why would Yugi give it to this man? What was going on...?

"Cat!"

Cat snapped out of her thoughts and noticed that Yami and the Rare Hunter were staring at her.

"_How...does he know my name?_" She thought to herself. "_This is strange...who is he?_"

"Cat, get out of here!" Yami yelled. "Quickly!"

Cat stood up, wondering if she should really leave.

"NO! You foolish girl! Don't you dare try to escape!" The Rare Hunter shouted at her.

Cat felt her hands shake.

"Get out of here! Fast!" Yami yelled.

Clenching her fists, Cat turned and ran down the port.

"NO! YOU FOOL!" The Rare Hunter shouted.

When Cat knew they weren't looking, she hid behind a bunch of crates. She could still hear them.

"You foolish Pharaoh! How dare you!" The Rare Hunter growled.

Cat blinked.  
"_Pharaoh?_"

"Hmph. If you were serious about holding Cat hostage, then maybe you should have secured her in some way." Yami smirked in amusement.

The Rare Hunter growled.

"It doesn't matter. Master Marik will have that girl tracked down in no time. She'll be in our hands soon again." He said.

Cat stiffened.

"I don't think so. I won't let Marik touch her and use her for something like bait." Yami said.

"Hah!" The Rare Hunter snorted. "Good luck trying to protect her from us, Pharaoh!"

"_There he goes again...calling him "Pharaoh"...why?_" Cat thought to herself and looked down at her cartouche. "_Sigh...ever since grandma gave this to me...Egypt and Pharaoh's are popping up all over the place in my life! I need to find Yugi and get some answers._"

"You can't protect her forever!" The Rare Hunter continued.

Cat inhailed and gripped her cartouche. Without listening to another word the two were saying, she ran away, off to find her friends.

* * *

**SUSPENSE!  
**

**...Okay, not really. Lol :)**

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as well! See you next chapter! :D  
**


	6. A Destined Meeting

The only thing Cat could hear was her own panting as she ran through the city.

Stopping, she gasped for breath and looked around.

There were Rare Hunters in this area! They hadn't noticed her yet though.

Looking around for a safe place to hide, she found herself running up the steps of the Domino museum.

Once she was inside, she stopped to catch her breath again.

"T-those...Rare...Hunters...a-are...everywhere..." She panted.

The museum was practically empty and the hallways were dim.

"I hope...they're...not closed." She said to herself.

"Hello."

Cat gasped and jumped back.

"Wh-Who's there?!" She asked.

From behind an artifact, a young woman stepped out from behind it.

The woman was clearly Egyptian from her eye shape, hair and skin color.

Her skin was tan and her hair was black, long and straight. It ended at the middle of her back. Her eyes were a vivid green.

She looked older than Cat. Possibly in her early twenties.

The woman wore a long cream-colored, long-sleeved dress that didn't cover her shoulders. And with the dress, she wore cream-colored slipper-like shoes.

On her forehead was a small green gem and finally, around her neck was a golden choker-like necklace. With the same Millennium symbol that was on Yugi's Millennium Puzzle.

"I'm sorry if I startled you." The woman said. "My name is Ishizu Ishtar. I'm hosting an Ancient Egyptian exhibit here at the museum for a while."

Cat then relaxed and sighed.

"O-oh...nice to meet you...uh...Ishizu." She said.

Ishizu stepped up to Cat and stared at her cartouche for a moment.

"Tell me. What is your name?" She asked.

"I'm Cat Tsuru." Cat answered.

Ishizu paused for a moment, glancing at her cartouche again.  
"I see." She said and turned around. "I'm surprised I did not see you coming."

Confusion came across Cat's face.

Ishizu looked at Cat from over her shoulder.

"Will you follow me? There's something I'd like to tell you."

"O-Okay."

Ishizu led Cat through the hallways of the museum. Cat looked around as they walked through the hallways. Ancient Egyptian artifacts covered the walls.

"This way." Ishizu said, stopping in front of a doorway. "We'll be able to talk privately in here."

Ishizu opened the door and stepped in, Cat following.

The room was a small office-like room with soft looking chairs. After shutting the door, Ishizu sat in one of them. "Please, sit."

Cat did what she was told and sat down across from Ishizu.

"I'm sure you're feeling very confused right now." Ishizu said.

Cat nodded once.

"I understand. But allow me to ask you a few questions." Ishizu said. "Cat...are you familiar with some of the legends of Ancient Egypt?"

"No...not really."

"I see. Then you don't know of the Pharaoh."

Cat frowned a little. Again with the Pharaoh.

"Um, Ishizu. May I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"I...I've been hearing that word a lot. "Pharaoh", "Pharaoh", "Pharaoh". And this man was calling another man a "Pharaoh". What's going on?"

Ishizu smiled a little and pointed at Cat's cartouche.

"You've been hearing about him ever since you received that cartouche from your grandmother, correct?"

Cat gasped.

"Wait...how did you know about my grandmother?" Before Cat received an answer, she could have sworn she saw Ishizu's necklace glow for a moment.

"That I can explain later." Ishizu replied. "Now it's my turn to ask you something. Are you aware that the Pharaoh you've been hearing about here in Domino, is the same Pharaoh that you've heard about in your family history?"

Confusion covered Cat's face. "Wha...?"

"It's hard to wrap your mind around it, I understand." Ishizu said, standing up. "You'll get to properly meet the Pharaoh soon enough."

Ishizu turned to leave but Cat stood up and stopped her.

"W-Wait! Ishizu! You didn't tell me how you knew of my grandmother yet..." Cat said.

Ishizu turned around. "Ah, yes. I almost forgot. I'm sure you're familiar with name, "Millennium Puzzle"?"

Cat nodded.

"Yeah, that's the necklace Yugi has."

"Believe it or not, the Millennium Puzzle holds a great power. And even though the Puzzle is one of a kind, there are six other Millennium Items out in the world." Ishizu explained.

"Millennium Items?"

"Yes. And I hold one of them." Ishizu gestured to her necklace. "This is the Millennium Necklace. Each Millennium Item holds a different kind of power. Mine allows me to see into the past and future. But even though it has granted me that power, I cannot see everything. I suppose that's why I didn't see you coming."

"I see." Cat said.

Ishizu smiled.

"We'll meet again soon. I'm sorry I haven't told you everything yet. But you'll understand soon enough." She said before turning and leaving the room.

Cat stared at the door after it closed behind Ishizu.

* * *

"Hmph. That Rare Hunter didn't even have any locator cards." Yugi said.

He was next to Yami, who was walking down an alleyway, in spirit.

"But at least Cat escaped." Yami said.

"That's true. Thanks for saving her." Yugi said.

"She's a friend to you all. How could I not?"

"Well...I want her to be your friend too, Pharaoh."

"Heh. We'll see. But right now I think we should find her first. There are Rare Hunters all over the City. And she could get caught again very easily."

"That's right." Yugi agreed and disappeared within the Millennium Puzzle.

Yami continued through the alleyways. It was easier to travel that way. Less people.

Walking out into a clearing, he looked at the museum, remembering his talk with Ishizu.

Before he moved on, someone walked out of the museum. Yami stared at the person for a while longer, thinking that they looked familiar...

"It's Cat!" Yami said to himself and started heading towards her.

Cat failed to notice him though. She was too busy thinking about her conversation with Ishizu.

She as heading towards a road.

"Cat!" Yami called out as he ran toward her.

Cat was thinking so hard about it; she didn't bother to look for cars as she began to cross the street.

"WATCH IT!" Someone cried.

Cat snapped out of her thoughts and looked over to see a large truck coming her way. She gasped and just before she was about to get hit, someone grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back onto the sidewalk as the truck passed them, blowing it's horn.

Cat took a deep breath, trying to slow her heart.

"What were you doing?! Geez woman, weren't you taught to look both ways before crossing the street?!"

Cat turned around and was face to face with another girl.

It was Kay!

Kay had her hands on her hips, almost as if she was waiting for an explanation.

"Oh…I-I'm sorry. I was just thinking about something, and I guess I wasn't paying attention." Cat explained. "Thank you for saving me."

"It was nothing. Just don't "get lost in thought" again. It seems to be a dangerous thing for a girl like you." Kay said. After this statement, Kay tilted her head slightly, not taking her hands off her hips. "Hey…I think I've seen you around at school. You're new to this city, aren't you?"

Cat nodded in reply.

"I see." Kay said, crossing her arms over her chest. After a small pause, she smiled kindly. "My name is Kay Simms. What's your name?"

"I-I'm Cat...Cat Tsuru." Cat replied.

"Nice to meet you Cat." Kay said with a smile.

"CAT!"

Kay and Cat turned to see Yami run up to them.

"You were about to get hit by a truck! Weren't you watching the street?!" He asked.

Cat looked down at the ground.  
"S-Sorry."

"So you're Yugi Motou." Kay said, putting her hands on her hips again, smile disappearing. "Couldn't you at least make the tone of your voice sound nicer? Cat just spaced out is all."

Cat looked at Kay, confused. "_Yugi Motou? Wait...he's not Yugi..._" She thought to herself.

Yami looked at Kay.

"Who are you?" He asked.

Kay sighed, rolling her eyes. "Back to the introductions. My name is Kay Simms. I work with Seto Kaiba and I'm also a close friend of his."

Yami's eyebrows raised. "You're a friend of Kaiba's?" He asked.

"Yeah. Surprising, isn't it?" Kay laughed.

"Actually...it is." Yami said. "I thought the only person he kept close to him was Mokuba."

"Well...surpriiiiissssseee!" Kay said flinging her arms in the air before dropping her arms again and looking at Cat. "Sooo...you're the type who needs rescuing all the time, aren't you?"

Cat looked down at her feet sheepishly. "I guess...I am." She replied. "That's the second time someone had to save me today."

"Oh really?" Kay grinned. "What was the first time?"

"I was kidnapped two days ago." Cat replied.

Kay's grin slowly faded. "What?!" She cried. "Then what the heck are you doing wandering around by yourself?!"

"I-It's a long story. But he saved me." Cat said, gesturing to Yami.

"Ooh. I see." Kay said.

"Cat was kidnapped by the Rare Hunters. Does the name ring a bell?" Yami asked.

Kay's face suddenly turned serious.

"Yes. It does. I knew they were into stealing people's rare cards. But I didn't realize they were into kidnapping. Why'd they kidnap Cat?" She asked.

"I don't know all of the reasons." Yami replied.

"Hm." Kay was in thought. "Well, thanks for the heads up, Yugi. Anyways, I'm going to head out. I'm a part of this tournament too."

"I see. Good luck." Yami said.

"Thanks." Kay said and looked at Cat. "It was nice meeting you Cat. Make sure to not space out."

"Er...yeah. I'll be sure not to. And it was nice meeting you too, Kay." Cat smiled weakly.

"I'm sure we'll all see each other again soon. Bye." Kay said before walking off in another direction.

There was a silence between Yami and Cat as they watched her leave. Once Kay was out of sight, Yami turned to Cat.

"Cat, I need to talk to you." He said.

Cat looked up at him.  
"Eh? A-About what?" She asked.

"You'll see. Follow me." Yami said, walking towards the museum.

Cat quietly obeyed.

Once the two made it to the top of the steps, Yami moved right of the entrance and into the shade, leaning on a pillar. Cat stood in front of him.

"Why did the Rare Hunters kidnap you?" Yami asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I-I...I don't know." Cat said.

Yami frowned a little. "Are you sure? Don't lie to me Cat."

Cat shook her head. "I'm not lying! I don't know why they kidnapped me!"

Yami said.

"I see." He sighed and mummered to himself. "All I have is that one clue...I guess I have to find out what sort of connection she has to my past by myself."

"What did you say?" Cat asked, tilting her head.

"Huh? Oh...no, it was nothing." Yami said. "So, you hid in the Domino museum?"

"Yes." Cat said, nodding once. "I met a woman there...she said her name was Ishizu."

Yami blinked.

"Go on." He said.

"She and I talked in private for a little while. And...she has a Millennium Necklace that lets her see the future and past and such...but not all of it."

"Yes, I know Ishizu."

"You do?"

"Yes. Please, go on."

"Uh...well...and she said that I would "properly meet the Pharaoh soon". I don't understand what she meant though."

Yami stared at Cat.

"_I see...whatever connection she has to the Ancient Past, she's not even completely aware of._" He glanced down at her cartouche. "_I bet that necklace is a clue._"

"Um? I have a question for you." Cat said.

Yami looked back at her face.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Uh...you look almost exactly like a friend of mine, name Yugi. Are you two...perhaps, related? And why do you have his Millennium Puzzle?" She asked.

Yami was silent for a moment.

"Cat. There's something "we" have to tell you." He said.

"We?" Cat asked.

"Yes. What I'm about to tell you is going to be a little hard to believe. But if you don't believe my words, Yugi, Jounouchi, Anzu and Honda can confirm it for you." Yami said. "What I'm going to tell you will clear up some confusion you have."

Cat nodded, listening politely.

"I am...actually an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh from thousands of years ago. My spirit lives within the Millennium Puzzle and whenever Yugi needs me, I come out of the Millennium Puzzle and switch places with him." Yami explained. "Perhaps...I'm the Pharaoh Ishizu said you would meet."

* * *

**Yes, this chapter was a little shorter than the others. But the next chapter is going to be long...hopefully not TOO long. Lol**

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter too! See ya next chapter! :D


	7. Illusionist, Magician, Madman

Cat stared at the man in front of her. Wide-eyed.

"You're...You're the Pharaoh..." Cat breathed, trying to wrap her mind around what he just told her.

Yami nodded.

"That is correct. Although I don't remember anything from my past. Not even my real name. So I go by different names. Some people call me "Yugi". Others call me "Pharaoh" or "Spirit". And some call me "Yami"." He said.

Cat shifted her eyes to the side, refusing to meet his eyes.

"_He's the Pharaoh? HE is? D-Didn't Ishizu tell me...that...the Pharaoh...the one my ancestor was in love with 3,000 years ago before he died...w-was the same Pharaoh that saved me from the Rare Hunters?! Oooh...I'm feeling dizzy..._" Cat placed her hand on her head.

"Are you alright?" Yami asked.

Cat glanced at Yami.

"Y-Yugi...can I speak to Yugi for a moment?" She asked.

Yami blinked.

"Alright." He said.

Suddenly, in a flash of gold from the Millennium Puzzle, Yami disappeared and Yugi stood in his place.

"Cat? Are you feeling alright?" Yugi asked. "It's great to see that you made it back safely."

"Thanks...I'm...just feeling a little dizzy is all." Cat said, leaning against the wall of the museum. "This...is a lot to take in."

"I'm sorry, Cat. It is a lot of information to take it. So...what did you need to talk to me about?" He asked.

Cat removed her hand from her head and looked at Yugi.  
"Well...I don't know how to tell...um..."Yami" about this." She said.

"What is it? I can tell the Pharaoh later if you'd like." Yugi said.

Cat nodded. "Um...Ishizu...when I spoke to Ishizu...well...you remember the story I told you and Anzu...the story behind my cartouche?"

"Yes..."

"Ishizu...she told me that the Pharaoh in the story behind my cartouche is the same Pharaoh as...um...the one who lives in your Millennium Puzzle."

Yugi looked shocked.

"What? Really?? Ishizu told you that?!" He asked. Cat nodded.

"So then...that's what Marik meant." Yugi mummered to himself. "You do have a connection to the Pharaoh's past...you're the descendant of the woman he was in love with!"

"Yeah, but...that has nothing to do with me." Cat said.

"Well, since you're not related to the Pharaoh, nor are you your ancestor, I suppose that's true. But you are connected to her bloodline. And that's why the Rare Hunters want to kidnap you. To use you as bait." Yugi explained.

"Oh...I understand." Cat mummered.

"I won't tell the Pharaoh anything about your connection yet. Right now, both him and I need to focus on the Battle City tournament. Mostly him though. For him, this tournament is more than just a normal tournament." Yugi said.

"What do you mean?" Cat asked.

"You'll see along the way." Yugi answered. "Since you're here. Why don't you stay with the Pharaoh for a while? I was hoping someday I could introduce him to you and you could become his friend as well. Outside of Marik and the Rare Hunters and a couple of other people, only our little group of friends know about his existence. And we're all friends with him. So, I hope the two of you can be friends as well."

"W-Wait...what about the Rare Hunters?" Cat asked.

"I wouldn't worry about them when you're with the Pharaoh. He's strong enough to keep them away and protect you from being kidnapped again." Yugi said. "Anyways...I should probably ask this first. Do you want to tag along with the Pharaoh for a while?"

Cat smiled a little.

"Sure. I'd like to see some duels play out anyways." She said.

Yugi returned the smile.

"Okay. I'll see you soon, alright Cat? See ya." He said before his Millennium Puzzle flashed gold again and Yami stood in Yugi's place.

Yami smiled at Cat.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

Cat nodded once.

"Yes!"

* * *

"Master Marik...Obelisk the Tormentor has just been played in Battle City. And the owner of the card is Seto Kaiba." A man in a Rare Hunter cloak, informed Marik.

They were in Marik's secret hideout, and the servant's name was Rishid.

"I knew it." Marik said. "Ishizu is conspiring against me…and gave Kaiba the card to stop me. I remember when I found the Winged Dragon of Ra card in Egypt. My second God card. One more and I would be unstoppable! But my sister, Ishizu confronted me as I left the underground vault where the card had been hidden. She told me that her Millennium Necklace told her that I would betray her. She told me that I had to sacrifice myself to my duty couldn't imagine that one of their own would be their greatest threat. I told her that I wanted to break this curse on his family by using the God cards! Although she warned me that I'd never find the third God card. I tried using the Millennium Rod against her, but her Millennium Necklace protected her."

Rishid listened.

"I know that Ishizu gave Obelisk to Kaiba in order to tempt him to hold the Battle City tournament. But…Kaiba doesn't understand the true strength of the God cards." Marik continued. "Once I have them all, I can break the curse on my family and get rid of the Pharaoh! But first I have to soften him up a bit. " Marik turned to Rishid. "Send out Arkana to take care of the Pharaoh at once!"

"Yes, Master Marik...but there is something else I need to inform you of." Rishid said. "It seems the girl with the cartouche has escaped. The Pharaoh freed her."

"What?!" Marik cried, a look of anger on his face. "You foolish fools! I gave specific orders that the girl was not to be released under any circumstances!"

"I apologize Master Marik." Rishid said. "Last I was informed, the girl should be near or with the Pharaoh currently. Once Arkana takes on the Pharaoh, we'll recapture the girl."

"Do not disappoint me again!" Marik said.

Rishid bowed his head. "Yes, Master Marik."

* * *

"You did a great job Jounouchi!" Anzu said with a smile.

"Shizuka should have her bandages off soon. So you must try hard for her." Solomon said to Jounouchi.

Jounouchi won his first duel with a duelist named "Espa Roba". In their duel, Espa was cheating and faking ESP.

After Jounouchi won, Espa realized that what he was doing was wrong.

"Of course!" Jounouchi nodded. "Well...I'm going to go look for another duelist to face. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

Anzu and Solomon nodded and waved as Jounouchi ran off.

"Hey Mr. Motou! How about we go look for Yugi now?" Anzu suggested.

"Good idea, Anzu. I'd like to see how my grandson is doing." Solomon agreed.

The two headed off.

* * *

"So you have a Duel Monsters deck, but you've never dueled?"

Yami and Cat were walking through the outskirts of the park.

Cat smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah. Duel Monsters does exist in America, but it's not very popular. My friend gave me the deck as a going away present. She knows Duel Monsters is famous in Japan." She explained.

"I see." Yami mummered before smiling a little. "You'll have to show me your deck sometime. I'd like to see what kind of cards you have. And maybe sometime we could duel."

Cat laughed.

"Sure, I'll show you my deck. But if we duel, I'm sure you'll crush me easily. You carry the title, "King of Games" after all." She said.

Yami chuckled and before he could say something, their conversation was cut short by a man who suddenly appeared from behind nearby trees.

"Hello Yugi." The man said.

Yami and Cat stopped and looked at the strange man.

"My master is waiting for you inside that tent over there." The man said, pointing towards a large tent not far from the two.

Yami frowned.

"Since my master was hoping this could be a private meeting, perhaps I should watch over your little girlfriend." The man said with dishonesty in his voice.

Cat tensed up at the frightening vibe the man was giving off. Scared, Cat moved a little behind Yami.

"I'm afraid not." Yami said to the man. "She's stays with me or I will have to refuse the invitation your master is offering."

The strange man bowed. "Very well then."

Yami looked at Cat over his shoulder.

"Stay close to me." He whispered before he moved towards the tent. Cat obeyed, staying close behind him.

Just as the two entered the tent, Solomon and Anzu were passing by. They stopped when they spotted the two.

"Hey! Is that...?" Anzu gasped. "There's Yugi! And Cat's with him! He found her!"

"That's wonderful!" Solomon said happily.

"YUGI! CAT!" Anzu called to them, but the two didn't hear and disappeared within the tent.

Inside of the tent, there was a single Magic Box set up on a stage. The box opened and the strange man from earlier leaned out, beckoning the two.

Yami frowned again as the man disappeared within the box. Without saying anything, the two walked into the Magic Box.

Solomon and Anzu ran in, in time to see the two walk into the box as it was closing.

Once the box closed, it suddenly collapsed right in front of them!

Solomon and Anzu gasped in horror. "YUGI! CAT!" Anzu cried.

* * *

Elsewhere, Kaiba and Mokuba were walking through the city.

Mokuba was looking at something on his hand-held computer.

"Seto!" He cried. "I've just received word that Yugi has disappeared from the tournament surveillance system! The Duel Disk system is being blocked somehow!"

"What? That's impossible!" Kaiba exclaimed. "I guess we'd better find him."

Mokuba nodded once.

* * *

The Magic Box that Yami and Cat had entered, led them to a dark room. In front of them was a computer, displaying Yami's Battle City duelist data.

Cat was standing partly behind Yami.

"Why is that computer displaying your duelist data?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." Yami mummered until suddenly the Dark Magician on his profile changed. It's cloak turned red, it's skin turned tan and it's hair turned white. And evil smile grew on it's face.

The new and strange Dark Magician materialized itself into the room. Cat cried out in terror as it appeared in front of them.

"You are not worthy to have me in your deck." The strange Dark Magician said to Yami, pointing it's staff at him. "It's time you met the true master of the Dark Magician!"

Yami only smirked and glanced to the side.

"Enough of these tricks." He said.

In the direction that Yami was looking at, a duelist appeared from the darkness.

"Hello Yugi Motou. I am the illusionist, Arkana!" The man introduced himself. "Soon your Dark Magician will be playing for me!"

Cat stared at the strange Rare Hunter. He had long purple hair in a ponytail and his skin was fairly pale. He wore a strange red suit with a black and green striped mask, which matched his bow tie.

Finally, he had a duel disk on his arm, white shoes and a red, black and green hat.

"I accept your challenge Arkana! Every duelist chooses cards for his or her deck from many types of cards." Yami explained. "But sometimes a card can choose a duelist. And the Dark Magician..." He held up his own Dark Magician card. "...has chosen me."

"Hmph. Follow me." Arkana said as he turned and led Yami and Cat downstairs. "Your superiors have ordered a real spectacle!"

"Who are you working for?" Yami asked.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot say." Arkana simply replied.

"Yami…I have a strong feeling that he may work for Marik." Cat whispered to Yami, not moving from her comfort zone, behind Yami.

Yami nodded in agreement.

The three walked into a large room with a dueling arena in the middle. There was a small area that had a curtain surrounding it and the walls had all sorts of swords, spikes, chains and other objects hanging on them. The two men entered the dueling arena while Cat stayed behind outside of the dueling arena, knowing all she could do was watch.

Once the two males met in the center of the arena, they began to shuffle each other's decks.

"Don't try any sleight of hand." Yami warned Arkana.

"Heh...okay then. If you're so worried, we'll cut each others decks. Just to be safe." Arkana said.

Doing so, the two cut each others decks on a table that stood in the center of the arena. Once they were finished, they set their decks back onto the tables, returning the decks to their owners.

When Yami and Arkana picked up their own decks, the table sunk into the floor. Then, the floor beneath the two moved back into their dueling positions; locking their legs into place with shackles that emerged from the sides of the ring.

"Now neither of us can escape!" Arkana laughed. "But there's an extra twist!"

Just then, two whirling saw blades came out of the sides of the rings.

"The saws will get closer to each player as his life points decrease. The loser will be cut in half!" Arkana explained and two boxes rose in between their feet. "These boxes contain the key to unlock our shackles. The box will only open when the player's opponent's score reaches zero, so only the winner will be able to escape."

Cat gasped and covered her mouth in horror.

"Is this…the true nature of the Rare Hunters?" She whispered to herself as she felt her legs and arms starting to shake.

She was almost too scared to watch.

"Are you some kind of demented madman?!" Yami shouted at Arkana.

"I'm just undefeated." Arkana answered simply.

"Not for long." Yami growled.

The two activated their duel disks and the duel was about to begin.

"W-WAIT!"

The two males directed their attention to Cat.

"S-Stop this! This is crazy! And...and...psychotic!" She cried and started to move towards the arena.

"I wouldn't come any closer, my dear." Arkana said with the same sick grin he had on his face for a while. "We wouldn't want you to accidentally get hurt by the saw blades, now would we?"

Cat pressed her lips together and tried to look brave.

"I-I'll be fine! But...you! Why are you doing this?! Your putting your life on the line as well!" She cried.

"Hmph, I thought it was obvious. I have orders from my master to get rid of Yugi Motou." Arkana answered. "But that's not all...I have orders to capture you again once I've dealt with Yugi."

The fear on Cat's face returned. "N-No...don't go through with this..." She whimpered, looking down at the ground, tears welding in her eyes. "E-Either way, someone is going to get killed. I...I can't bare to watch something like that happen right before me!"

"Cat. Look at me." Yami said.

Cat looked up at him.

"You have to believe in me. I'm dueling for both of us and frankly, we don't have a choice." Yami said sternly. "Don't interfere."

Biting her bottom lip and hugging herself, Cat didn't say another word as the duel started.

* * *

Anzu and Solomon were back on the streets of Domino.

"What could have happened to them?" Anzu wondered.

"We've got to search every inch of the city until we find them." Solomon said.

"Mr. Motou...you don't think...that they were kidnapped by the Rare Hunters, do you?" Anzu asked.

"I don't know, Anzu. Let's just hope we find them soon." Solomon answered in a serious tone.

* * *

Kaiba and Mokuba had returned to Kaiba Corp's Battle City headquarters, also searching for Yami.

"If Yugi and his opponent's Duel Disks are cut off from the Kaiba Corporation's computers, they must be playing somewhere that has it's own internal computer dueling system." Kaiba said. "Find all computer systems within Battle City that are compatible with Kaiba Corp's! And let me know if any of them refuse to identify themselves!"

Mokuba looked up at Kaiba.

"I'll keep looking around." He said, leaving the room while Kaiba's employees worked on finding the computers that were compatible with Kaiba Corp's.

After Mokuba left the building, he almost ran into someone, literally.

"Mokie? What's the rush?" Kay asked, standing in front of Mokuba.

"Me and Seto lost track of Yugi Motou's Duel Disk system. So Seto is searching for computers that are compatible with ours while I'm going to look around the city." Mokuba explained. "Want to come with me?"

"Sure, why not? I was just coming in to take a break from all the tournament anyways." Kay said.

The two ran off into the city.

* * *

Anzu and Solomon stopped a moment to rest.

"I...don't get it! Where could they be?!" Anzu panted.

"I don't...know..." Solomon panted and looked up to see Mokuba and Kay running down the street. "Mokuba!"

Mokuba and Kay stopped in front of them.

"Hey guys!" Mokuba greeted. "A moment ago, Seto found out where Yugi is. We're headed there right now."

"Then we'll join you." Solomon said.

After a while of running, the four finally made it to the building where Yami and Cat were.

"According to Kaiba Corp. computers, they should be here!" Mokuba said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kay asked and was about to open the door. But before she could touch it, someone on a motorcycle rode up.

"Hey guys! What's up?" It was Honda. He had left Shizuka after promising her that he would take her to Battle City on the day she was supposed to take her bandages off.

"Yugi has gone missing!" Solomon explained.

"What? Yugi is missing?! Man! First Cat and now Yugi?!" Honda asked.

"Cat? No, she's not missing anymore." Kay said. "Last time I saw her, she was with Yugi."

"That's what we saw too." Anzu said.

"Well, we think that Yugi may be trapped in here." Mokuba explained.

"Oh really?" Honda asked, parking and getting off his motorcycle. "Then I'm gonna get ready to break some doors down!"

* * *

Arkana had lost the duel. But as the saw blade moved towards him, Arkana pulled out a key from his sleeve to escape. But before he could use it, Arkana froze.

"You didn't hold up your end of the bargain, Arkana!" Marik snapped, now in Arkana's mind. "Now you must accept your punishment!"

"W-Wait! Please Master Marik, give me another chance!" Arkana cried and looked at the key in his hand. Marik casted an illusion on Arkana, making it seem like the key disappeared. Arkana dropped it. "Th-The key! Where did it go?!"

Yami unlocked his own shackles and glared at Arkana.  
Cat, who hadn't moved from her spot since the beginning of the duel, covered her eyes.  
"Y-Yami!" She cried. "He's going to be killed! Not even he deserves that! Marik tricked him!"

Yami looked over at Cat, surprised. But his attention turned to a large bolted door on the other side of the room. He could hear their friends pounding on the door.

Looking back at Arkana, Yugi took over.

Without saying anything, Yugi rushed over to Arkana and picked up his extra key, freeing Arkana just before the blade touched him.

"You're right Cat. It's wrong to die for a game." Yugi said, standing up.

Cat uncovered her eyes.  
"Yugi...?"

She heaved a sigh of relief, putting a hand on her heart.

Without thanking Yugi, Arkana immediately ran over to the curtains that held a silhouette of a woman, which was "supposedly" his long lost lover. Earlier in the duel, Yami and Cat had learned about Arkana's past. How Arkana used to be a show magician and how he lost his lover and assistant after a terrible accident. They also learned how he was working for Marik because Marik promised to bring his lover back. Of course, both Yami and Cat knew that Marik lied.

Arkana hugged the woman, begging his lover to come back.

He didn't seem to notice the curtains slip off, revealing nothing but a female mannequin with a wig.

As Cat watched Arkana, she felt a little pity for him. "Are you all right, Arkana?" She asked.

But when Arkana stood up and turned around, Arkana wasn't there anymore...Marik was controlling him.

"You care too much, foolish girl." He said.

Realizing Marik had taken over, Cat squeaked and jumped back in surprise.

"You coward! Show your face!" Yugi snapped at Marik.

"I'll appear when I'm ready." Marik answered.

Yugi frowned.

"Marik. Why do you want to kill me?" He asked.

"It's not you I'm after. But the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. I want to take my revenge on the Pharaoh for myself and my family, the Tomb Keepers." Marik explained. "In Egypt, the Tomb Keepers have lived there for 3,000 years, protecting the Pharaoh's secrets from all attackers. We were not allowed any contact with the outside world and had to stay in the dark. Guarding the Millennium Items with our lives. The mission of the Tomb Keepers is to return the Pharaoh's memory to his soul. The Pharaoh's memory exists within the three God cards. Whoever owns the cards can become the new Pharaoh and use all of the Millennium Items."

"_I understand now..._"Yugi thought to himself. "_The Pharaoh lost memory exists, hidden in the God cards._"

"Another one of my Rare Hunters you must face is within Battle City, preparing to duel with you. And this one holds one of the God cards!" Marik said. "Beware the Quiet One!"

Arkana then slumped over after Marik released him.

Yugi caught him just as their friends finally break through the door of the room.

* * *

"Rishid...the Quiet One will soon crush Yugi. I'm not worried about Kaiba. I think I can easily defeat him and take Obelisk the Tormentor." Marik said, sitting in his throne-like chair. "Watch out for Yugi's friends. They could get in the way...although perhaps they'll prove useful. I could always use more servants. But we also still need to re-capture the girl. That should be easy after we defeat the Pharaoh and he is no longer able to protect her."

Marik stood up and moved over to a table, picking up the Winged Dragon of Ra. Another Egyptian God card.

"Soon, I'll gather the other two God cards and become the new Pharaoh." Marik said, letting his cloak fall off, revealing a design etched into his back, which were the stone carvings of the three God cards.

* * *

**Yeeep. That chapter was long. I hope I didn't bore anyone. LOL**

I'm not completely sure if I'm happy with this chapter or not. And in case anyone didn't notice, I tried to mix together the Japanese version of the show and the English/Dub. Yup.

**Anyways, I had the first six chapters of this story pre-written. That's how I got them up so fast. So from now on, it'll probably be a chapter a day at the most. We'll have to see. I'm currently working on chapter 7. :D**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See ya next chapter! :D  
**


	8. Dangerous Situations

The friends were finally reunited and were heading home for the day.

"You know, Cat. I know I said we'd be seeing each other soon, but I didn't think it would be THIS soon." Kay said.

Cat smiled weakly.

"Cat? Is she a friend of yours?" Honda asked.

"Uh...well...kinda?" Cat answered. "Our first meeting was only earlier today."

"This is Kay." Yugi explained. "She's a close friend of Kaiba's."

"Kaiba has close friends?" Honda asked. "Besides Mokuba?"

"For the second time today, I ask, surprising, isn't it?" Kay laughed lightly.

"You go to our school, don't you?" Anzu asked. Kay nodded.

"I've seen you all around the school." She said.

"I've seen you around as well. It's kind of hard not to since you stick out pretty well." Anzu said.

"Yeah, with my adjusted school uniforms." Kay said.

"How did you get away with that anyways?" Yugi asked.

"That's a secret, my friend." Kay answered simply.

Mokuba looked up at Kay.

"Kay, we should probably get going. Seto's expecting us." He said.

"Ah, that's right." Kay mummered and turned to the others. "Well, I'll see you all later! I'm sure we'll be seeing each other a lot more in Battle City with this Rare Hunter business and such."

Yugi laughed.

"Probably."

"Bye Kay." Cat said, waving.

Everyone shared their goodbyes with Kay and Mokuba before they left.

"We should probably be heading home as well, Yugi." Solomon said.

"Yeah, you're right." Yugi nodded. "But you guys go on without me. There's something I feel obligated to do first."

Solomon, Honda and Anzu looked at Yugi, confused.

"Well...alright. I'll see you when you get home, Yugi. Be careful." Solomon said. "I'll see you kids later." He waved goodbye to Honda, Anzu, Cat and Yugi as he left.

"I guess we'll go too." Honda said. Anzu nodded.

We'll see you tomorrow, okay Yugi?" Anzu waved.

"Yup. See you guys tomorrow." Yugi said as he and Cat waved goodbye to Honda and Anzu.

"I suppose I should head off too, then." Cat said.

"Wait." Yugi stopped her before she turned to leave. "This obligation includes you."

"Huh?" Cat asked.

"Well...it's not so much my obligation as it is the Pharaoh's." Yugi said before a bright flash of gold came from his Millennium Puzzle, replacing Yugi with Yami.

Cat blinked in confusment before her brain caught up with what just happened.

"There are still Rare Hunters running around. And since they want to capture you, allow me to take you home." Yami said. "It would bother both me and Yugi if you went home by yourself."

"Oh." Cat mummered. "You don't have to."

Yami only stared at her.

"W-Well...if you insist." Cat said, a sweatdrop appearing on her head. "No need to stare at me like that."

The two walked to Cat's apartment, with Cat leading the way.

They climbed up to the floor Cat's apartment was on and stopped in front of her door.

"Well then, Cat. I'll see you tomorrow." Yami said, turning to leave.

"Um...wait a minute." Cat said. Yami stopped and turned around.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Th...Thank you...for everything you've done for me today." Cat said looking sheepish. "I feel a little embarrassed that I didn't thank you earlier."

Yami smiled at Cat.

"You're welcome." He said. "Do you plan on tagging along with us tomorrow?"

"If you guys don't mind. I'd like to. Even though your duel with Arkana frightened me, watching the duel itself was exciting! We never played Duel Monsters like that where I used to live." Cat said. "You played an awesome duel, by the way."

"Thank you." Yami chuckled. "Well then. I'll come by here tomorrow morning. Me and Yugi don't want to take any risks with you wondering the city by yourself."

"I understand. Thanks...to both of you." Cat said with a smile.

Yami nodded once.  
"Good night." He said before turning and leaving.

"Good night. And be careful, the Rare Hunters are after you too." Cat said before unlocking her door and walking in, shutting and locking the door behind her.

* * *

"Hey guys! Why am I not surprised to find you here?"

Yugi, Cat and Mai Valentine looked over at Kay, who was walking up to them. They were all in the City Square.

"Good morning Kay." Yugi greeted with a smile.

"How are you?" Cat asked.

"I'm feeling great this morning! And ready to go defeat some duelists!" Kay answered.

"Oh? Is this another new friend of yours?" Mai asked.

Yugi had already introduced Cat to Mai.

"Yes. This is Kay Simms. Close friend of Kaiba's." Yugi said.

Kay put on a weak grin.  
"Why do I feel like everytime I meet someone new, I'll be introduced like that?" She laughed weakly.

"A close friend of Kaiba's? Well that's news to me." Mai said, smiling.

"And this is the part where I ask, "surprising, isn't it?" This is starting to become a common thing." Kay said. "By the way, are you guys waiting for someone?"

"Yeah. Another friend of ours. His name is Jounouchi Katsuya and he's in the tournament as well." Yugi replied.

Kay looked thoughtful.  
"Jounouchi...Jounouchi...why does that name seem familiar?" She wondered to herself.

"Possibly because Kaiba is always picking on Jounouchi?" Mai suggested, putting her hands on her hips.

"Ah! Yes! That's right, I heard his name from Seto. He was comparing Jounouchi to something like...a dog." Kay said.

"HEY! Is dat rich punk saying bad things about me behind my back?!"

Everyone turned around to find Jounouchi. He had heard what Kay had said and was steaming.

"And who are you supposed ta be anyways?!"

"My name is Kay Simms. And before anyone else says it for the thousandth time in the past 24 hours, I'm a close friend of Seto Kaiba's." Kay said.

"WHAT?! How can you possibly be friends with him?! That jerk!" Jounouchi ranted. "I've always believed he was-OOF!"

Kay had elbowed him in the stomach, a little harder than she meant to.

"Geez, I see why Seto doesn't like you. You're very loud and you don't shut up." Kay grumbled.

"Why...you...!"Jounouchi coughed, clutching his stomach.

Yugi, Cat and Mai sweatdropped at the scene in front of them.

Once Jounouchi recovered, he was about to snap at Kay, but Mai caught his attention.

"So Jounouchi, how are you doing in the tournament?" She asked.

Jounouchi grinned, practically forgetting his anger.

"Check it out!" He said, pulling out two locator cards and showing them proudly. "Pretty good, huh?" Jounouchi gave Mai a high-five.

To reach the tournament finals, the duelists had to collect six locator cards, which, when put together, turning into a map, leading them to the location of the Battle City finals.

Everyone was trying to reach the finals.

"Good job, Jounouchi. But I've already got four locator cards." Mai said with a grin.

"And I have three." Yugi added in.

"WHAT?! Agh! How am I ever gonna make it to the finals?!" Jounouchi cried.

"I'm surprised you even have two." Kay joked. Jounouchi glared at her and was about to shout again.

"U-Um...don't be upset Jounouchi!" Cat cut in before he could yell at Kay. "There's still plenty of time left."

Jounouchi sighed, setting his anger aside.

"Guess you're right." He said. "Today I'm gonna give it my all!"

"Good luck with that Jounouchi." Mai said.

"We should probably head out." Yugi said. "Good luck to everyone!"

* * *

Anzu and Honda arrived at Yugi's house, the Game shop. They were going to meet up with him and were running late.

"Hey Gramps! Where's Yugi?" Honda asked.

"You two are a little too late. Yugi left a long time ago to pick up Cat and headed to the City Square." Solomon replied.

Anzu blinked. Yugi went to pick up Cat? Why...?

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Honda's voice.

"Really? Arg! I thought he would at least wait for us!" Honda complained.

Anzu glared at him.

"This is your fault, Honda! We wouldn't have been late if you didn't take so long flirting with Shizuka on the PHONE!" Anzu yelled at him. "I'm afraid I'll never get to see Yugi duel!"

"Now, no you kids. I'll come along with you guys to help find them." Solomon said, holding his hands up. "No need to fight."

* * *

The morning had passed by quickly. Jounouchi now had four locator cards. Honda, Anzu and Solomon had found Jounouchi and tagged along with him.

While they were looking for another duelist to duel, they didn't realize that a Rare Hunter had been watching them most of the morning.

Marik grinned as he stepped onto Domino City's harbor. He had been traveling to Domino City by boat and had finally arrived.

"All is going well." He said. "But I have one more task to complete before setting foot in Domino."

Rishid approached Marik.

"Is it time?" He asked.

"Yes. I'll control the Quiet One's mind and eliminate Yugi once and for all!" Marik said.

The Quiet One was currently in the City Plaza, standing on a bench, in the same position all morning. He was a mime.

A group of people had clustered around him, waving their hands in front of his face and calling to him. But they received no answer until the Quiet One suddenly started moving, the Millennium Symbol glowing on his forehead. The people jumped back in surprise.

The Quiet One pulled out his Duel Disk and jumped off of the bench, running off at full speed, under Marik's control.

He was off to find Yugi.

* * *

Yugi and Cat walked along a waterway.

"So...I've been meaning to ask you for a little while, Yugi." Cat said, glancing at Yugi. "Why...have you been talking to yourself so much?"

Yugi looked at Cat and smiled.

"Oh, that's right. Sorry. I was talking to the Pharaoh." He answered.

"The Pharaoh? But...I don't see him." Cat said, looking around Yugi.

"No, he's here. He's right next to me. But only I can see him when he's in the Millennium Puzzle." Yugi explained.

"I see." Cat mummered. Suddenly, Yugi stopped walking and looked behind him. Cat tilted her head a little, confused.

The familiar gold flash from the Millennium Puzzle came and Yami stood in Yugi's place.

"I sense someone coming." He said. Cat blinked.

"What?" She asked.

Yami frowned. "A Rare Hunter, no doubt." He growled. "Cat. Yesterday, when I dueled with Arkana, the type of duel it was frightened you. I don't know what kind of duel this new Rare Hunter will present. And it might be just as dangerous as yesterdays. You'd better go find Jounouchi and the others."

"And leave you alone?" Cat asked.

"I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Hurry, before the Rare Hunter arrives and sees you. Just be very careful while you're searching for our friends. Rare Hunters are all over the place. And also...don't tell my friends where I am. If I'm going to be dueling with a Rare Hunter, I don't want them to possibly be put in harms way."

"I understand. Be careful, Yami."

Cat quickly turned and ran back towards the streets of Domino.

Once Cat was far enough, Yami waited for the Rare Hunter.

As expected, not much later, the Quiet One leaped in front of Yami.

"Hello Pharaoh. I challenge you to a duel!" The mime said.

Yami growled, knowing that Marik was currently controlling the mime.

"Marik! Face me directly!" Yami snapped.

"Using my Millennium Rod to duel through my puppet is no different from you using your Puzzle to duel." Marik said.

"It IS different! You take control of your servants' minds against their will! But I duel with honor!" He said sternly.

"I do what I have to!" Marik replied, making the mime activate his Duel Disk. "Duel me Pharaoh! If you don't, I can always send one of my men after the girl you just sent off."

Yami's eyes widened. Did he see Cat after all?

Growling, Yami activated his Duel Disk. "Fine. Let's duel!"

* * *

"Huh...I never thought it would take this long to try and find someone to duel." Jounouchi mummered.

"What are you talking about?? There's duelists all over the place!" Anzu pointed out.

Jounouchi rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, but..." He stopped. "Hey...isn't that Cat?"

Cat was standing near a building. She had obviously been running and was taking a break.

"Hey! Cat!" Jounouchi called, running over to her with Anzu, Honda and Solomon.

Cat looked up at her friends.  
"Oh! There you are!" She exclaimed. "I was looking for you guys."

"Great to see ya again!" Jounouchi said with a grin.

"But why are you by yourself, Cat? For someone who's being targeted by the Rare Hunters..." Honda mentioned.

"Oh...um...well..." She tried to think up an excuse without revealing Yami's whereabouts like he requested. "I was with the Pharaoh for a little while and...he said that if I was careful enough, I could go find you guys and tag along for a little while."

Anzu blinked, a little surprised.

"_She was with the Pharaoh and Yugi all day?_" She thought to herself, frowning slightly. "_I've been looking for Yugi since yesterday...and she's been with the Pharaoh and Yugi for as long as I've been looking for them. Not only that, but Yugi or the Pharaoh went to pick her up today? Why is he suddenly spending a lot of time with her?_"

"Oh! So you were with Yugi? Where is he?" Jounouchi asked.

Cat winced a little.  
"Um...I'm...not...sure." She answered slowly. That wasn't completely untrue. After Yami met up with the Rare Hunter, whenever that happened, they could have moved to another location.

"Really? Ah, darn!" Jounouchi sighed. "We were hoping we could find him. But that's okay."

"Sorry." Cat mummered and then looked up at Jounouchi. "So...it IS okay that I tag along with you guys, right?"

"Of course! You don't even need to ask!" Solomon said cheerfully.

Cat smiled. "Thanks!"

The five continued on, looking for more duelists that Jounouchi could duel.

They stopped next to a water fountain and sat down for a break. But while they were there, they kept an eye out for someone that Jounouchi could duel.

A duelist passed by, looking for someone to duel. But Jounouchi ignored him and the guy left the area.

"Why didn't you challenge that guy, Jounouchi?" Honda asked. "You could have beat him easily! And you're only two locator cards away from getting into the finals!"

"That guy was a lightweight! I have a reputation to uphold! I can't duel every inexperienced chump I see! I came second at Duelist Kingdom!" Jounouchi explained.

Anzu sweatdropped.

"Here we go." She mummered.

"It's true you've gotten better. But every good duelist knows there's always more to learn." Solomon said to Jounouchi.

"What is an amateur like you wearing one of my Duel Disks?"

Everyone turned around to find Kaiba and Mokuba. They were just passing by.

"Hmph. Looks like someone screwed up at registration. I'll deal with you later." Kaiba said to Jounouchi as he started to pass the five friends by.

Jounouchi glared fiercely at Kaiba.

"I think I've found my next duel!" He growled.

"Uh, dude? I don't think that's a good idea." Honda warned.

"Yeah. Remember LAST time you dueled him?" Anzu reminded him.

"Kaiba! I challenge you to a duel!" Jounouchi snapped, pointing at Kaiba while ignoring his friends' warnings.

Mokuba turned to look at Jounouchi.

"Dueling you would be a complete waste of my big brother's time. He's very busy!" He said.

Instead of continuing, Kaiba turned around to face Jounouchi, loading up his Duel Disk.

"This won't take long." He said.

"All right! Bring it rich boy!" Jounouchi cried, activating his own Duel Disk.

Cat watched the two.

"Is...Jounouchi always like that?" She asked.

"More than you think." Honda answered.

Before Jounouchi and Kaiba's duel could start, a sudden wind picked up. Everyone shielded themselves from the strong wind.

The wind was coming from one of Kaiba's helicopters.

"Mr. Kaiba. A God card was just played." Kaiba's radio said to him as a rope ladder fell from the helicopter's doorway.  
Kaiba smirked and looked at Jounouchi.

"It's your lucky day, mutt." Kaiba said, putting away his Duel Disk before hopping onto the rope ladder, Mokuba following him. "I have urgent business to attend to and I have no time to deal with you."

With that, the helicopter took off.

Jounouchi glared at the helicopter as it flew off. "I would have CRUSHED Kaiba!" He cried. Although Jounouchi's attitude changed once the helicopter was out of sight. He sighed with relief.

"Not so tough after all, huh?" Honda asked.

"SHADDAP!" Jounouchi snapped while Honda, Cat, Anzu and Solomon laughed.

Unknown to them, the Rare Hunter from earlier was still watching them.

* * *

The God card that had been played was Slifer the Sky Dragon. It was used against Yami in his duel with the Rare Hunter.

But after finding a small flaw in Slifer, Yami was able to win the duel.

Kaiba and Mokuba arrived in time to witness Slifer for themselves.

After gathering his locator card and Slifer the Sky Dragon, Yami ended up talking with Marik again.

This time, Marik carried a threat.

"Be warned Pharaoh! My Rare Hunters are everywhere in Battle City! And I'm always looking for new mind slaves to control!" Marik said. "So then, Pharaoh? Which of your friends would make the best mind slave? Jounouchi? Anzu? Cat, perhaps?"

Yami glared at him in rage.

"Leave them alone!" He snapped angrily.

"What about Honda then? Or your Grandfather? Or possibly Kay?" Marik continued. "Your loyalty to your friends will destroy you!"

Before Yami could reply, Marik broke his control over Strings (the Quiet One), causing his body to collapse.

Without waiting another second, Yami turned to run back into the city to find his friends.

"Yugi! What are you doing?! Get back here!" Kaiba yelled after him.

"Sorry Kaiba! But our duel will have to wait!" Yami called back. "My friends are more important!"

After Yami recieved Slifer, Kaiba had challenged him to a duel for Slifer. But their conversation had been cut off by Marik.

"Good luck Yugi!" Mokuba called to Yami.

"Running away from a challenge is against tournament rules." Kaiba mummered.

* * *

"Man! I was seriously about to kick Kaiba's butt!" Jounouchi ranted on.

"Uh-huh. Is that why you were so relieved when Kaiba took off?" Anzu asked.

"I said, SHUT UP!" Jounouchi snapped.

The five were unaware that the Rare Hunters were still all around them.

"I have to agree with Anzu." Honda said. "That was funny!"

Jounouchi growled at him as Cat and Solomon watched.

Solomon sighed and Cat laughed lightly.

"I'm not afraid of Kaiba!" Jounouchi snapped.

* * *

Yami continued to run through the streets, desperately searching for his friends.

"_That Marik...he'll do anything to get his revenge on me!" _He thought to himself."_And now my friends are in great danger! I've got to hurry and find them. Rgh...and I sent Cat over to them too. That was foolish of me! If they haven't already captured her, they will if I don't get to my friends in time!_"

* * *

**Whew! I was able to get another chapter up! :D**

**Well, I hope you liked this one! See you next chapter! :D  
**


	9. Deceitful Man

"Guess what sis? I have enough locator cards to enter the Battle City finals!" Jounouchi exclaimed happily.

Jounouchi had just finished a duel with Mako Tsunami, a duelist they had met back in Duelist Kingdom, and had earned the rest of the locator cards he needed to get into the finals. He was sharing the news with his sister on Anzu's cell phone.

"I knew all along that you'd be a finalist!" Shizuka said happily.

"I couldn't have done it without your support. I just wish you could have seen me in action!" Jounouchi said.

"I want to come and watch you play. The doctors have given me permission to remove the bandages from my eyes tonight. And the first thing I want to see is my brother, dueling in the Battle City finals!" Shizuka exclaimed with a smile.

"Right! Well, I have to prep for the finals, but I'll send someone over to pick you up right away!" Jounouchi said before hanging up. Grinning, he threw the cell phone he was borrowing from Anzu into the air in excitement.

Anzu cried out and quickly caught her phone.  
"Hey! Easy with the the technology!" She snapped at Jounouchi.

"Now all I have to do is find someone to go pick her up." Jounouchi said. "But where will I find someone on such short notice?"

Honda grinned and jumped up.  
"I'll go get her!" He eagerly volunteered.

Jounouchi glared at Honda. "I don't know..." He mummered.

Without another word, Honda half-strangled Jounouchi in his excitement before rushing off before Jounouchi could stop him.

Jounouchi was about to call out to Honda, but stopped.

"Oh well. Honda's like family anyways." He mummered.

"It's great that your sister will be able to see again. I'd like to meet her." Cat said with a smile.

"Don't worry. You will tonight." Jounouchi said. "I'm sure the two of you will get along fine too!"

Anzu smiled at them, but her expression quickly changed. "Oh no!" She gasped.

Everyone turned to see what she was looking at, only to find a young man injured, wearing a bloody bandage on his arm.

The other man, who was holding the injured man up, was Marik. Unknown to Cat, Jounouchi, Anzu and Solomon.

"Bakura!" Jounouchi cried.

The injured boy's name was Ryou Bakura. He was a friend of Yugi and the gangs and holder of the Millennium Ring. Like Yugi's Puzzle, the Millennium Ring held an ancient spirit inside as well. But this spirit was evil and Yugi, Bakura and everyone else just couldn't seem to get rid of him.

Bakura had pale skin and white long hair. His eyes were brown and he was the same age as Jounouchi, Yugi, Honda and Anzu.

His shirt was a t-shirt with blue and white stripes on it. Other than that, Bakura was wearing blue jeans and tennis shoes.

Everyone rushed up to Bakura.

"I just found him lying on the ground and tried to take care of his injuries." Marik explained. "Do you guys know him?"

"Yeah. We're his buddies." Jounouchi said.

"I...can't remember...what happened." Bakura said weakly.

Solomon stopped a taxi.  
"I'll take him to the hospital." He said and helped Bakura into the taxi.

Cat looked at Jounouchi.

"He's a friend of yours? Who is he?" She asked.

"Oh. That's Ryou Bakura. He goes to the same school as us and holds a Millennium Item like Yugi." Jounouchi explained.

"It's called the Millennium Ring. It has an evil spirit in it." Honda explained. "But we can tell you more about it all later."

"Okay." Cat said.

* * *

Yami had ran into Kaiba again. Kaiba agreed to help find Yami's friends, but only if Yami agreed to duel with him after they found his friends.

The two ended up in a duel with two Rare Hunters while searching. They easily won.

Yami and Kaiba continued to search. And unknown to them, they passed by Yami's friends on the other side of the street. They were hidden by the taxi that Solomon had stopped. Once the taxi drove off, Yami and Kaiba had already passed them.

"I hope you've led me to the right place." Yami said to Kaiba.

"Relax. Your friends are here." Kaiba said.

Kaiba was using his Duel Disk locator to find Jounouchi's Duel Disk signal.

Yami quickly rushed into a building where Kaiba said his friends "apparently" were.

"Why does he care about them so much?" Kaiba grumbled to himself.

* * *

"My name is Namu. It's nice to meet you." Marik said innocently.

"Thank you for helping Bakura." Anzu said.

Cat offered Marik a friendly smile.

Jounouchi glanced at the Duel Disk on Marik's arm.

"Are you a duelist?" Jounouchi asked.

Marik looked at his Duel Disk shyly.

"I-I'm a low level duelist, so I'm not that good. I hope you're not challenging me to a duel." He said. "You would crush me."

"You don't have to duel me. I'm already qualified for the finals." Jounouchi bragged.

Marik beamed.

"Are you? I'd really like to get some dueling tips from you." He said.

Jounouchi grinned widely.

"If Namu keeps this up, Jounouchi will get a swelled head. And it doesn't need to be anymore swelled than it already is." Anzu mummered to herself.

"You know...I feel as though I've met you guys before." Marik said.

"Maybe. You DO seem familiar." Jounouchi agreed and paused for a moment. "Oh no! I forgot the time! We have to head to the finals!"

"That's right." Anzu said. "Bye Namu. It was nice meeting you."

Marik waved.  
"Alright. I'll see you guys later." He said.  
As everyone turned to leave, Cat caught one last glance at Marik.

She gasped and quickly turned her head back around.

Why...was he grinning so evilly? Something wasn't right about this guy.

"_They don't even know who I am!_" Marik thought to himself, chuckling. "_My Rare Hunters, you must not fail me this time! Bring me the two remaining God cards! And make sure little Yugi stays out of my way, permanently! I have an alternate plan to make sure I get what I want!_"

After putting on his kind face again, Marik ran after the group of friends.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" He called. "I never got that dueling advice from you."

Jounouchi and everyone else turned and looked at him.

"Oh, that's right." Jounouchi laughed.

Cat glanced at Jounouchi and Marik with a worried look.

While Marik distracted the group, three Rare Hunters began to sneak up on them.

Marik's smile soon turned to surprise.

"J-Jounouchi! Look out!" He cried just before he was grabbed by a Rare Hunter.

Jounouchi, Cat and Anzu turned around to find more Rare Hunters.

"What the?! Where did these freaks come from?!" Jounouchi cried and punched one of the Rare Hunters.

Cat and Anzu cried out as a Rare Hunter grabbed them. Jounouchi tried to come to their rescue, but another Rare Hunter knocked him down.

All of the sudden, Anzu's cell phone began to ring. One of the Rare Hunters pulled it out of her bag and answered the call.

"Anzu! Are you there?"

"Yugi! Help us!" Anzu cried out.

Quickly, the Rare Hunter dropped the phone and stomped on it.

* * *

"Anzu? Are you there? Where are the others?! Anzu?!" Yami cried into the phone. But there was no answer.

He sighed as he hung up. "We're too late. The Rare Hunters have already gotten to them."

"Stop worrying. I'll track them down by satellite." Kaiba said. "But as soon as they're found, we WILL have our duel."

"I'll duel you once I know they're safe." Yami said and frowned at the ground.

"_I can't believe I let this happen...I should have known Marik would go after my friends sooner or later!_" Yami thought to himself. "_Not only that, but I just sent Cat right into their hands. I was being careless..._"

* * *

"We can't find Jounouchi's Duel Disk on our tracking system. I'll return to headquarters to check this out further." Mokuba said to Kaiba through a radio.

Once Mokuba was finished with the message, he closed up his brother's briefcase that he had been carrying around.

"So those Rare Hunters got a hold on Yugi's friends?" Kay asked. Mokuba nodded.

"We're looking for them." He said.

Kay had found Mokuba earlier that day and they decided to tag along with each other for a little while.

They were sitting on the roof of a building.

Mokuba picked up the suitcase.  
"I'd better head back and try to figure out why we can't find Jounouchi's Duel Disk signal." He said and was about to leave until Rare Hunters suddenly approached them!

"Stop where you are!" One of them commanded.

Mokuba clutched his brother's suitcase. "Kay! Let's get out of here!" He cried and started to run as fast as he could with the heavy suitcase. Kay ran along side him.

"Ugh! Those creeps! Showing up out of nowhere!" Kay growled. "What's their problem?!"

The two didn't go far, for the Rare Hunter's caught them, knocking them down.

Rishid loomed over them.

"You're our prey." He said.

"Not if I can help it you freaks!" Kay snapped and stood up, kicking one Rare Hunter. The Rare Hunter fell backwards onto the ground. Kay punched another, causing that one to stumble backwards, holding their face in pain.

Kay was about to attack another one until she was suddenly punched in the stomach, hard. She coughed and fell forward, blacking out.

"K-Kay!" Mokuba cried and shook her, trying to wake her up.

"Grab those two." Rishid ordered. "Master Marik wants them in our grasp."

* * *

Cat and Anzu were thrown into a room full of cardboard boxes in a warehouse at the docks. The Rare Hunters closed and locked the door behind them.

Anzu ran up to the door and pounded on it.

"Hey! Let us out!" She yelled. But the Rare Hunters ignored her, leaving the area. Anzu sighed and walked back to where Cat was.

"What do they want with you?" Cat asked.

"I don't know. But I'll bet they're after Yugi." Anzu said, sitting by Cat. "The Rare Hunters have been after you, right? Why are they anyways?"

Cat looked down.

"I'm not completely sure myself." She mummered. "But...I'm sure it has something to do with this...and the story behind it." Cat played with her cartouche.

"Oh. Your family heirloom?" Anzu asked. "Why do you think they're after you because of that?"

"Remember the story behind this?" Cat asked. Anzu nodded. "Well...apparently...according to a woman named Ishizu I met...the Pharaoh in that story...is the same Pharaoh that lives within Yugi's Millennium Puzzle."

Anzu's eyes widened.

"W...What?" Anzu asked. "Y-You're saying that the Pharaoh...that was in love with your ancestor, is the same Pharaoh as the one that lives in the Millennium Puzzle? S-Seriously?"

Cat nodded.

"That's what Ishizu told me at least. And...when you think about it, it kind of makes sense." She said.

Anzu frowned at the ground.

"I see." She mummered.

"So, my guess is, is that the Rare Hunters want to use me for bait. Because they think that once the Pharaoh finds out, he'll fall in love with me or something like that. But that's just a guess." Cat continued, looking up at the ceiling in thought. "To be honest...whoever my ancestor was in love with has nothing to do with me anyways."

Anzu glanced up at Cat.

"But...knowing that, how does it make you feel about the Pharaoh?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." Cat mummered. "I guess it feels kind of awkward. But...the Pharaoh seems to be a kind person, even though he seems rough on the outside. I wouldn't mind getting to know him a little more."

Anzu's frown returned, although Cat didn't notice.

"I see." She mummered again.

There was silence between the two and Cat glanced around the area. "We should probably try and figure a way out of here." She said.

Anzu stood up and looked around.  
"I guess." She said and paused when she spotted all the cardboard boxes. She looked up at the small window above them. "Hey! What if we piled up the boxes and used them to climb out that window."

Cat stood up and looked up at the window as well.

"That sounds like a plan to me." She said, smiling.

The two girls nodded to each other and started to stack the boxes. Once they were finished, they started at it for a moment.

"Since it was your idea, you should go first Anzu." Cat said.

Anzu nodded and tried to climb the pile of boxes to reach the high window. But just as she was about to reach it, the boxes toppled over and she fell, a box landing over her head.

"A-Are you alright?" Cat asked.

"Could have been better." Anzu said, taking the box off her head.

Just then, the door opened and two more Rare Hunters threw two more people in. After tossing the people in, they shut the door behind them, locking it again.

Cat and Anzu gasped.

"Mokuba?!" Anzu cried.

"Kay's here too!" Cat exclaimed. The two ran up to Mokuba and Kay.

Mokuba sat up painfully.

"Ow...hey...what are you guys doing here?" He asked.

"I could ask the same question." Anzu said.

Cat shook Kay.

"Kay?"

Mokuba looked over at Cat and Kay.

"Kay was knocked out by a Rare Hunter when she tried fighting them back." He explained. "She should wake up soon."

"I see." Cat said.

"So, what happened?" Anzu asked Mokuba.

"We were grabbed just as I was trying to find you guys and Jounouchi. I think we're being used as bait so the Rare Hunters can grab Yugi and Seto's rare cards. Both Yugi and my brother have God cards, the most powerful cards in Duel Monsters." Mokuba explained.

"I think there's more to it than Duel Monsters." Cat whispered to herself, remembering how Marik mentioned that the God cards were connected to the Pharaoh's memory.

"The Rare Hunters took my laptop, so I can't get in touch with my brother." Mokuba added in.

Anzu nodded and looked back up at the high window.  
"When Kay wakes up, let's try the box thing again." She said.

* * *

Jounouchi, who was unconscious, was tied to a chair in another part of the warehouse.

Slowly, he came to when Rishid entered the room. Jounouchi glared angrily at Rishid.

"Who do ya think you are, kidnapping me like this?! I know you're using me to get Yug's rare card! But no matter what, Yugi won't submit to you freaks!" Jounouchi snapped at him.

Rishid didn't say anything.

Suddenly, Jounouchi became silent and it wasn't long until a dazed look came over his face.

Marik was behind Jounouchi and he had used the Millennium Rod to take over Jounouchi's mind. Marik smirked evilly.

* * *

It was a little while until Kay woke up. After she did, everyone explained the situation to her.

After a moment of fuming, Kay agreed to help create the escape route.

Once the boxes were re-stacked, they began to carefully climb up.

"So far, so good." Anzu said. "I just hope these boxes are stable enough."

Mokuba had just made it out of the window when the door suddenly swung open! Two Rare Hunters ran in.

"Hey! I don't recall calling for room service!" Kay snapped at the two Rare Hunters that were starting to climb up the boxes after them.

Cat and Anzu cried out in terror.

"Cat! Hurry up and get through the window!" Kay shouted since Cat was next in line to escape. Cat nodded urgently and started to climb out the window until the boxes suddenly collapsed!

Kay and Anzu screamed as the boxes fell from beneath them, causing them to tumble to the ground with the Rare Hunters.

Cat hadn't made it through the window yet, she was hanging from the window, trying to climb up. She looked down at her fallen friends.

"Kay! Anzu!" She cried.

"Cat! Get out of here and find help with Mokuba! Hurry!" Kay cried.

"No! Don't let that girl get away! Master Marik will be infuriated if she escapes us again!" The Rare Hunter shouted to the other, pointing at Cat.

The other Rare Hunter nodded and ran out of the room just as Kay knocked the first Rare Hunter down.

"Shut up!" She snapped and looked back at Cat. "Hurry up!"

"I-I'm trying...!" Cat grunted, trying to pull herself up.

"C'mon Cat!" Mokuba said and took her hands, pulling her out.

Once Cat was through the window, she stood up and escaped the docks with Mokuba, while avoiding the Rare Hunters that were searching for them.

"We need to find Yugi and my big brother!" Mokuba said.

* * *

Anzu was unconscious for a while before slowly waking up. She found herself imprisoned in a chair with metal bonds, restraining her wrists and ankles. The first thing she saw after she had realized where she was, was Jounouchi. He was standing in front of her with his head down.

Anzu smiled.

"Jounouchi!" She cried happily. "Are you here to help me?"

Jounouchi didn't respond.

Anzu's expression became worried. "Jounouchi?" She asked.

She gasped when Jounouchi finally raised his head, showing his eyes blank.

"I'm not Jounouchi." He chuckled.

Rishid came up from behind Jounouchi.

"What did you do to him?!" Anzu cried.

* * *

Rare Hunters were searching through the city to find the ones that escaped the warehouse.

A couple of Rare Hunters passed by an alleyway without realizing that Kay was in the alleyway.

She gasped for breath as she leaned against the wall of a building. Kay had barely escaped the Rare Hunters when they were trying to take her and Anzu to another room. Kay tried to free Anzu as well, but it was too late and Kay had no choice but to escape.

She sighed, regretting that she couldn't help out Anzu.

"I'd better find Mokuba and Cat before those Rare Hunters catch them...or even before they catch me!" She panted and moved through the alleyways. "I need to get a hold of Seto."

* * *

"Now we're both qualified for the finals." Kaiba said, taking the two locator cards from a Rare Hunter named Lumis. One locator card for Kaiba and one for Yami.

Yami and Kaiba had just finished a teamwork duel against two Rare Hunters named Lumis and Umbra.

"How can you possibly think about the tournament at a time like this?!" Yami asked, taking his locator card.

Marik had just finished talking to Yami and Kaiba through Lumis. He warned them that Yugi's friends were safe, but not on his side any longer.

"Stop worrying about your friends already." Kaiba grumbled.

Before Yami could reply, a Kaiba Corp. helicopter flew up to the two males. The door opened and Mokuba jumped out.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba cried. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Mokuba replied and looked at the helicopter. "Cat's with me too."

"Who?" Kaiba asked.

Cat stumbled out of the helicopter.

"Cat!" Yami cried and ran up to her. "Are you alright?"

Cat smiled weakly.  
"Yeah."

"Cat, I'm sorry I got you caught by Marik again." Yami apologized. "I shouldn't have sent you off. It was foolish of me."

"N-No, it's fine. Please don't blame yourself." Cat said. "Besides, right now, we have bigger things to worry about."

"We have to save Yugi's friends! Kay and Anzu helped me and Cat escape the Rare Hunters! But they got left behind." Mokuba explained.

Kaiba sighed and turned to Yami.

"You're lucky today. I'm always one to repay my debts." He said. "I'll help you save your little friends. Besides, Kay's in danger as well."

* * *

**Tah-dah! Another chapter! Yey! :D**

**Well...not much else to say so...see ya next chapter! :D  
**


	10. Unwanted Battle Between Friends

Yami, Cat, Kaiba and Mokuba were sitting in the Kaiba Corp. helicopter. Mokuba was able to locate Jounouchi's Duel Disk signal and they were now on their way to find him.

"They're eleven miles away." Mokuba said, looking at his laptop.

Yami stared grimly out the window.

"I never thought that Kay would be the type of girl that needed to be rescued." Kaiba mummered for a moment before looking at Yami. "Tell me about Marik."

"I've never actually seen him, but I know Marik has a Millennium Item, like my Puzzle." Yami said.

"Cut the bogus magic talk Yugi." Kaiba grumbled.

"But you've already experienced the powers of the Millennium Items first hand." Yami pointed out. "When Pegasus used his Millennium Eye to capture your soul. Mokuba's as well."

"That was just a cheap trick." Kaiba mummered.

"But Seto! He did use his Millennium Eye to trap us! That couldn't have possibly been a cheap trick!" Mokuba protested.

Kaiba didn't reply and stayed firm in what he said.

Yami was about to speak until they heard a phone ring.

Kaiba pulled out a cell phone and answered it.

"This is Kaiba." He said.

"Seto, could you give me a lift?"

"Kay?" Kaiba asked, surprised.

Cat looked at Kaiba. Was Kay able to escape too?

"Yes, it's me." Kay said. "I was able to escape the Rare Hunters. I'm following your helicopter by ground, could you throw me a rope ladder or something? Before those freaks in the purple dresses catch me again?"

"Alright." Kaiba said and hung up before telling the pilot to move closer to the ground. Once they were close enough, Kaiba opened one of the doors and tossed out a nearby rope ladder. After a minute, Kay climbed into the helicopter.

"About...time..." She panted and sat next to Cat. "Ugh...I'm so tired."

The rope ladder was pulled back up and the door was shut. The pilot started to move further from the ground again.

"How did you escape?" Mokuba asked Kay.

"By force." Kay replied simply with a smile. "I'm not afraid of injuring those jerks."

Mokuba beamed.  
"Way to go!" He cheered and gave her a high-five.

Cat was staring at her lap sadly.

"What's wrong, Cat?" Kay asked.

"I...feel bad that Anzu and Jounouchi were left behind." Cat mummered.

"It wasn't your fault, Cat." Yami reassured her. "Marik is indeed a powerful enemy."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Oh please, Yugi! All this talk of Marik being powerful and those Millennium Items are all just tricks! Stop fooling yourself!" He snapped, getting annoyed.

Yami frowned at him.

"My Puzzle is no trick, Kaiba." He said. "I"m actually a three thousand year old spirit, living inside the Millennium Puzzle."

Kaiba looked shocked for a moment, along with Kay and Mokuba. Cat was the only one, besides Yami, who looked calm. She already knew about Yami being a three thousand year old spirit of a Pharaoh.

"You're lying!" Kaiba insisted.

Kay looked a little skeptic. "No offense, Yugi...but I'm going to have to side with Seto on this one. The Millennium Items I understand...but, you, sitting in front of us, being a three thousand year old spirit? That's just...not possible."

"He's telling the truth, Kay." Cat said. Kay looked at Cat, doubt still on her face, and then looked at Yami.

"I was once a Pharaoh in Egypt. I am Yugi, but I'm not Yugi. I was awakened when Yugi solved the Millennium Puzzle." Yami explained.

Kaiba briefly remembered a meeting he had with Ishizu a while before Battle City.

Ishizu had told him similar things.

"But...it can't be true!" Kaiba said to himself, remembering the stone carvings that Ishizu showed him.

He almost remembered her telling him about how the Duel Monsters were once real and that the Pharaoh had saved the world from destruction by sealing them away in stone tablets. But evil sorcerers found ways to release the monsters from the stones, and used them to wage war against the Pharaoh.

And finally he remembered the second stone she showed him.

The one with him and Yugi on it.

"I don't know..." Kay muttered, doubt still on her face. "But...when I think about the Millennium Items and stories that my uncle had told me...it...kinda makes sense. I guess for now, I can believe you."

"Your uncle?" Cat asked.

"My uncle is the creator of the Duel Monsters card game. His name is Pegasus J. Crawford." Kay answered.

Yami gasped.

"Pegasus?!" He asked.

"Yeah. You dueled him in Duelist Kingdom and won." Kay glared at Yami slightly. "You're just lucky he's recovered from his coma."

"His coma? Kay, I didn't do that to him." Yami explained.

"Well...either way, it's in the past and uncle is doing fine." Kay said, he face softening up.

"Kaiba, did you know about this? About Kay being Pegasus' niece." Yami asked.

"Of course." Kaiba answered. "I learned that when I first met her." Kaiba suddenly laughed. "But back to the topic on hand, you talked to that crazy woman too, didn't you? I didn't buy into her story."

"What Ishizu said was true! She told me that the events of the past would occur once again and I know who I must stop!" Yami insisted. "Marik's goal isn't just to gather all three of the God cards either. Because I am the spirit of the Pharaoh, Marik wants to kill me."

Mokuba, Kay and Cat listened to Yami, interested, as he told them about his earlier duels with the Rare Hunters and his encounters with Marik.

Kaiba huffed.

"That's ridiculous." He said. "Stop corrupting my little brother's mind with your lies!"

"They're not lies! You heard Marik talk about his plans first hand!" Yami growled.

"If you believe Marik was using magic powers to control people's minds, then you must believe in the tooth fairy as well!" Kaiba said.

"Marik's powers are very real and very dangerous. So are his threats against my friends!" Yami snapped and clenched his fists. "We have to find my friends and get them away from that madman before it's too late!"

"We're two miles away from our destination." Mokuba reported.

"Good...we'll be about to find Jounouchi and Anzu." Cat breathed.

"I'm tired of hearing about Yugi's friends! Especially that hack, Jounouchi!" Kaiba sneered.

"Jounouchi's become a skilled duelist. I wouldn't be surprised if Jounouchi had already qualified for the finals." Yami said.

Kay looked at Mokuba's laptop and then looked out the window. "It looks like they're at the pier." She said.

Without replying to Yami's comment, Kaiba ordered the pilot to descend.

* * *

Jounouchi and Anzu walked along the docks, both under Marik's control.

"Soon, Yugi and Kaiba will arrive to try and rescue you two." Marik said to the two. He paused a moment to smirk. "But with you two under my control, they'll have no choice but to play by my rules."

Rishid approached Marik.

"I've secured twelve locator cards for the Battle City finals, as ordered." He said.

"Now we'll both be able to participate in the finals, if necessary." Marik said to Rishid. "But if all goes well, it won't be. Give Jounouchi the deck we've prepared for him."

"Replacing Jounouchi's old, pathetic deck with a deck full of extremely rare magic cards was an excellent idea, Master Marik." Rishid said.

Marik laughed.

"I've taken the things that mean the most of Yugi! His friends. And it won't be long until I gather the "other thing" that means the most to Yugi." He said evilly. "You hear that Yugi?! Come and find me for the last duel you'll ever fight!"

* * *

"As soon as we land, Mokuba, Cat and Kay will lead me to where my friends are being held. Then we'll break in and get them out." Yami said.

"Not so fast! I'm in charge! And the first thing I want to track down is the third God card! After that, we'll find your friends." Kaiba said.

"Jounouchi and Anzu are in great danger! We have to rescue them right away!" Kay snapped. "Don't you realize that people's lives may be on the line?!"

"Fine." Kaiba grumbled. "Once we land, we can split up and fend for ourselves. I work better on my own anyways. Haven't you guys figured out that teamwork isn't my thing? I was the one who defeated Lumis and Umbra without much help. I brought you guys to the place where your friends are being held. Now you guys can take care of the rest by yourselves."

Kay crossed her arms over her chest angrily. "Seto, just get over yourself for once and try to consider other people before yourself!" She growled.

Yami turned back to the window.

"Fine then. I'll save my friends without your help, Kaiba." He said.

Mokuba looked out the window.

"Hey look! Isn't that Jounouchi?" He asked. "He's just standing there on the pier."

"Careful. We might be getting into a trap." Yami said cautiously.

"I've heard enough from you." Kaiba growled.

Quickly, the helicopter landed on the pier as Marik laughed.

"When Yugi finds out that I turned his best friend against him, he'll be completely devastated!" He laughed.

Everyone jumped out of the helicopter.

"Jounouchi!" Yami called.

"Jounouchi isn't here." Marik, who was controlling Jounouchi, said.

Cat gasped. "I-It's Marik!"

"That certainly doesn't sound like Jounouchi." Mokuba said.

Kaiba huffed.

"It has to be one of Marik's tricks." He said.

"Seto...can't you stop being skeptical for once?" Kay mummered, frowning. "You say EVERYTHING is a trick."

"Jounouchi! Snap out of it!" Yami cried. "I know you're in there!"

"It's pointless, Yugi! I'll release your friends once I have what I want." Marik said through Jounouchi. "You must duel me."

"I don't understand what's going on." Mokuba said.

"It seems like Marik has turned Jounouchi against Yugi and now Jounouchi wants to duel Yugi." Kaiba explained. "If Jounouchi's on Marik's side now, he might be holding the third God card. And if the God card is played, I want to be there."

"Jounouchi! You have to wake up! Remember the promise you made me when you gave me your Red-Eyes?" Yami cried. "I promise I'll set you free! Marik's power is feeble compared to the strength of our friendship!"

Marik turned Jounouchi around.

"I'll never set him free unless you follow me." He said.

Yami frowned, knowing that if he did follow him, he may be walking into a trap. But who would save Jounouchi and Anzu if he didn't?

Before the two left, Anzu, who was also being mind controlled by Marik, walked down the gangway steps from a nearby ocean liner.

"You'd better do exactly what Marik says." She said.

"Marik! Leave Anzu out of this!" Yami snapped.

Marik laughed through Anzu. "You are at my mercy."

Cat covered her mouth in shock.

"Oh no...! Marik...he's controlling both of them!" She gasped.

Kay winced.

"Yeah...and both of us probably would have been among them if we hadn't escaped." She said. "It's a good thing we did too. I don't think Yugi needs anymore stress right now."

Yami followed the mind controlled Anzu to where Jounouchi was waiting.

The dock was a square with a square opening in the middle of the square dock, which led to the ocean.

In the middle of the opening, suspended metal beams that supported an anchor, hanging over the square of water.

Joey stood on one side, and Yami stood across from him.

"This is how the duel will work." The mind controlled Anzu said. "Both duelists must cuff themselves by the ankle to a chain attached to the anchor. When a player's life points reach zeros, thirty seconds later, the anchor will drop to the bottom of the ocean."

"The boxes at our feet contain the keys to our ankle cuffs." Mind controlled Jounouchi continued to explain. "When one player's life points reach zero, the other player's box will open, and he will have thirty seconds to free himself, while the loser will be dragged down with the anchor to the bottom of the sea."

"Marik! Will you free my friends if I win?" Yami asked.

"Yes. But you'll have to fish Jounouchi out of the sea first." Marik said.

Anzu moved to a chair and sat down as restraints trapped her by the wrists and ankles.

"I wouldn't consider refusing to duel. There's a timer set to blow the anchor after sixty minutes. If there's no winner, you'll both be dragged into the sea. You will lose Yugi." Marik said through Anzu before turning to Kaiba. "Once I've taken care of Yugi and his friends, I'm setting my sights on your God card Kaiba."

Kaiba looked horrified at what Marik was doing. He truly was intending to kill Yugi!

Cat placed a hand over her mouth in horror. "That's so sick!" She cried. "He's planning to kill one or the other! Possibly both!"

"I've heard enough!" Kay cried and turned to Kaiba. "This duel is getting way out of hand! You've got to put a stop to this before someone gets hurt, Kaiba! Besides! Marik might try something like this one us next!"

Kaiba frowned. "You're right. As the head of the Battle City Tournament, I demand that this duel stops!" He said loudly.

"The duel will continue as planned." Marik said through Anzu as a crane moved a crate into place over her head. "This is the final piece of the plan. If Kaiba or anyone else attempts to interfere, the crate will fall onto Anzu's head."

The Rare Hunter controlling the crane pulled out a remote control. "One false move and I'll push the button which will detonate the bomb, causing the crate to fall." He said.

"Everything's into place to start the duel. Let this woman watch as well." Marik said through Anzu before releasing Anzu from his control. Anzu's head dropped for a moment before she raised it up again.

"Where am I?" She asked herself before she realized she was trapped in a chair. "What's going on?"

"There's one last matter to be taken care of." Jounouchi said. "Your God card is off limits. Remove the card from your deck."

Yami agrees, taking off the belt that held his special cards, thinking to himself that it was too dangerous to use Slifer anyways.

Yami pulled out Jounouchi's Red Eyes Black Dragon that was with Slifer and added it to his deck before tossing his belt aside.

Marik laughed.  
"The end is near, Pharaoh!"

Everyone watched as the duel began.

* * *

"You grew up here, right? It's been a long time since you've been back, huh?" Honda asked as him and Shizuka finally arrived in Domino.

"Yes." Shizuka answered. "I remember handing out here with Jounouchi when we were little."

Shizuka was in a different outfit today. She wore a pink, zipped up vest with a yellow t-shirt under it. With that, she wore blue shorts, white socks and blue tennis shoes.

She still had the bandages wrapped around her eyes.

"It's time to find Jounouchi! If only I knew where he was, though." Honda said and thought for a moment. "Wait here a moment, Shizuka. I'll go call Anzu."

He made his way to a nearby telephone booth and called Anzu's cell phone.

But there was no answer, for Anzu's cell phone remained crushed where they were captured.

Honda hung up.

"Huh. I wonder why she's not picking up?" He wondered to himself before turning to Shizuka. Both of them not knowing that a few Rare Hunters were watching.

* * *

Cat had her hand on her heart and a face full of fear and worry.

"I just don't believe this is happening..." She whispered. "I would have never thought something like this was going to happen when I moved here."

"Are you alright Cat? You look a lot more pale than usual. And you look like you're about to faint." Kay said, looking at Cat, worried. "Although I can't blame you."

Cat glanced at Kay fearfully. "I-I'm just scared...and worried is all." She said. "I'm scared for Anzu, Jounouchi, Yugi and especially the Pharaoh, Yami."

"Especially?" Kay asked.

Cat nodded.

"He...has gone through so many dangerous duels and tough situations throughout Battle City. It's just not fair for him." She said. "He just wants to find his memory. And I want to help him out. Besides, it appears we have a thin connection to each other anyways."

"What do you mean?" Kay asked.

Cat explained the story behind her cartouche. About her ancestor and the Pharaoh. And how the Pharaoh in the story was the same Pharaoh that lived within the Millennium Puzzle. When Cat finished telling the story, Kay looked speechless.

"So...that thin connection is your ancestor?" Kay asked. Cat nodded once. "I see. That makes sense. Does the Pharaoh know about this?"

Cat shook her head.

"No. Me and Yugi decided it would be best to wait after Battle City. As we can see here, he has a lot on his hands." She said.

"You're right." Kay mummered and sighed. "Well, if Yugi-...I mean...Yami...is as great as I have heard for a while, then we should have that hope that everything will be fine."

Cat stared at Kay for a moment before looking back at the duel.

She nodded. "You're right Kay."

* * *

**Eh...sorry this chapter didn't turn out as interesting as one might have hoped...but I hope you all liked it anyways!  
See you next chapter! :D**


	11. Teamwork and Friendship win in the End

Honda and Shizuka continued down the streets of Domino.

"I'm sorry for not agreeing on a meeting place with Jounouchi and the others before I left to pick you up." Honda said.

"It's okay." Shizuka said. "I'm sure we'll find everyone. They have to be here somewhere!"

Before either of the two knew what happened, they were surrounded by three of the Rare Hunters!

"What the?! Where did you freaks come from?!" Honda cried.

"Honda, what's going on?" Shizuka asked, a little frightened.

"Sorry, but you're coming with us." One of the Rare Hunters said.

"Back off!" Honda warned them.

The Rare Hunters ignored his warning.

"Shizuka, get onto my back!" Honda said. Shizuka obeyed and Honda ran off with her down an alley, the Rare Hunters following.

* * *

"I still don't get this! What's going on?" Anzu asked, still confused.

"Marik brainwashed Jounouchi and forced him into a duel in order to get his hands on Yugi's God card." Mokuba explained to her.

"Marik? He must be the one Ishizu warned us about!" Anzu realized. "Everything makes sense now!"

"Hey! Stop with the fussing!" The Rare Hunter in the crane snapped at her.

Anzu looked up and noticed the crate over her head.

"You don't have the guts to drop it!" She snapped at the Rare Hunter. "Kaiba! Stop the duel, now! Or the whole world may be in danger! Don't worry about me!"

"We can't! It's too risky." Kay said.

Kaiba ground his teeth in frustration.

"Yugi, you'd better not lose to someone like this." He mumbled.

The duel continued on hopelessly.

"Jounouchi! Snap out of it! We're your friends!" Anzu shouted at Jounouchi.

Yugi appeared next to Yami in spirit.

"She's right. And I have an idea. Pharaoh, I think you should let me duel." He said.

"Why?" Yami asked.

"Me and Jounouchi have always shared a really strong bond and I think that bond might be able to break through to him how. We've been through so much together." Yugi explained. "Remember when Jounouchi and Honda risked their lives to save us from the fire? Well now it's my turn."

"This is a very dangerous match." Yami reminded him.

"I know. But I can't let that stop me. I feel in my heart that if anyone in the world can get through to Jounouchi, I can." Yugi said. "Jounouchi is my best friend, and I know Jounouchi would do the same thing for me."

"Alright, Yugi. I'll be right here if you need me." Yami said.

The two traded places and Yugi was now in control.

Marik became angry.

"I want to defeat the ancient Pharaoh! Not this little runt!" He yelled. Marik stopped for a moment and pondered on it.

This might just what he needs! I can win against this duel easily now that I'm up against little Yugi, instead of the Pharaoh. It doesn't matter who I defeat! I'll still get the same prizes! He thought to himself.

"What is Yugi doing?" Cat wondered silently to herself. "I don't think I've ever seen Yugi duel before…only the Pharaoh. I hope Yugi can do this."

* * *

Honda continued to run from the Rare Hunters with Shizuka on his back.

They ran down an enclosed alley, but one of the Rare Hunters had gone around and cut them off. They were trapped!

"I suggest you come quietly." One of the Rare Hunters said.

"Don't count on it!" Honda said, setting Shizuka down, ready to face them.

Honda fought them off for a while until one of them grabbed Shizuka, causing her to scream. Honda was about to go to her rescue until one of the Rare Hunters he was fighting punched him, knocking Honda to the ground. The situation seemed hopeless.

Suddenly, a die came flying through the air and hit the Rare Hunter that was holding onto Shizuka on the forehead.

He let go of Shizuka and held his head in pain.

"And there's more where that came from, Tough Guy." A voice from the end of the alley said.

Everyone turned to look to see…Otogi!

Otogi was the same age as Yugi and everyone else and used to own a game shop. He lived in America but flew to Japan often.

He had long black hair that he kept in a ponytail and green eyes. On one eye, he had a black streak that started from the bottom of his eye to his cheek. His skin was a little darker than Honda's and his tangtop, pants and shoes were black. Over his black tang top, he wore a red, open vest. He wore a headband with a design on it and wrist cuffs with a design on them as well. On his upper arms, he wore two gold rings on each arm.

On one ear he wore a long earring with a die on the end. And finally, he wore a pendent around his neck.

Otogi used to hate Yugi and wanted to defeat him at a game he created on his own, Dungeon Dice Monsters. But first Otogi ended up playing Duel Monsters with Jounouchi. And the two had made a bet out of it. Jounouchi lost and was forced to wear a dog suit and Yami played Dungeon Dice Monsters against Otogi so Jounouchi's end of the bet would become invalid if he won.

After Yami won, Jounouchi was free from the dog suit and after a talk and realizing that Yugi wasn't as bad as he thought he was, Otogi became their friend and apologized for his rude behavior.

He was tossing a handful of dice in his hand as Honda struggled to his feet.

Otogi threw more dice at the Rare Hunters. While he was doing that, Honda grabbed Shizuka.

"Otogi! We'll talk later! Run now!" He cried as they all started to run, the Rare Hunters following them.

It wasn't long until they were finally able to hide from the Rare Hunters.

The Rare Hunters had split up to look for them.

"Otogi, what are you doing here?" Honda asked.

"I heard about this Battle City thing and wanted to check it out. I was hoping to run into Yugi, but you guys will do." Otogi said before leaning in and whispering so Shizuka couldn't hear. "Who's this girl?"

"She's off limits." Honda said. "She's Jounouchi Katsuya's sister."

"Oh, the Jounouchi I made wear a dog suit!" Otogi remembered.

"Don't mention that, or you'll upset Shizuka!" Honda said.

"What's up with the guys chasing us?" Otogi asked.

"I have no idea. But I don't like the look of them." Honda answered. "If I remember right, they're Rare Hunters. But I don't know why they're chasing us."

"If these guys are chasing us, doesn't that mean they're after the others too?" Shizuka asked. "Everyone might be in danger!"

* * *

The duel was beginning to look even more hopeless. Yugi had given Jounouchi his Millennium Puzzle. He wasn't going to allow Yami to interfere and he was hoping that it would wake Jounouchi up.

Marik had almost lost his control over Jounouchi a few times, but always gained it back.

By this time, Mai had found and picked up Honda, Otogi and Shizuka, while she was driving around, and they had reached the pier.

Mokuba had to stop them and explain what was going on.

Shizuka was about to take her bandages off but Anzu called out to her to stop. She couldn't let Shizuka see her brother like this.

"Trust your brother." Mai said to Shizuka.

"Guys! Stop the duel now! Forget about me! Just save Yugi and Jounouchi!" Anzu cried out to Kaiba and everyone else.

The Rare Hunter hopped out of the crane and held up the remote control as a threat.

"Seto, don't let Anzu get hurt! She helped save my life!" Mokuba said.

"There might be a way." Kaiba mummered and then spoke into his lapel radio.

After that, the duel continued on until there was only 30 seconds left in the duel.

Everyone was worrying that it might be too late, but suddenly, a Kaiba Corp. helicopter rose over the pier.

"Who's flying that machine?" Honda asked.

"It's remote controlled." Mokuba said.

The helicopter flew towards the crate that was hanging over Anzu as Kaiba reached for his deck.

He drew a card and flung it towards the Rare Hunter.

The card stuck into his hand, causing the Rare Hunter to drop the remote. The Rare Hunter was about to dive for it, but Kaiba pushed him aside and Kay quickly kicked the remote into the sea.

The helicopter snagged the cable holding the crate over Anzu and pulled it away from her, causing it to fall into the sea.

Everyone rushed over to Anzu, freeing her from the chair while Kaiba retrieved his card from the Rare Hunter's hand.

He looked at the card and noticed it was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"I'm such a good drawer." He mummered to himself.

The duel ended in a draw. Yugi had fallen to the ground and Jounouchi had broken free from Marik's control. They only had 30 seconds.

Shizuka finally took her bandages off and threw them into the sky.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Jounouchi taking off his duel disk and Yugi's Puzzle before using the chain of his shackle to leap across the dock to Yugi.

The countdown reached zero and the anchor fell just as Jounouchi managed to grab Yugi's key. The anchor drug them both into the sea.

"Jounouchi!" Honda cried as he ran to them.

Everyone gathered on the side of the dock.

Underwater, Jounouchi swam over to Yugi and unlocked his shackle. He watched him float to the surface while thinking to himself, "Yug…you're the best friend I ever had…thank you."

Yugi broke to the surface and Honda dove in, bringing Yugi to the dock.

Cat and Anzu pulled Yugi out of the water.

"Jounouchi never took his key!" Kay said.

"Go get it!" Honda cried.

Kay ran to the other side of the dock, but it was gone!

Shizuka had already grabbed it and was diving into the ocean.

"What is she doing?!" Kay cried.

Jounouchi attempted, with his last breath, to unlock his shackle with Yugi's key, but it didn't work.

Before Jounouchi's lungs gave out, he spotted a shadowy figure swimming towards him and wondered if it was Yugi.

Shizuka finally reached Jounouchi and unlocked his shackle before the two of them returned to the surface.

Jounouchi looked shocked when he realized it was Shizuka.

"How did you get here?" He asked.

"Honda and Mai brought me." Shizuka replied with a smile.

Jounouchi smiled and looked back at the dock.

"Yugi!" He greeted happily.

"How cute. The geeks are back together again." Kaiba mummered. "Jounouchi could take off his Duel Disk but couldn't take the key for himself. He's stupid enough to be admirable. A common duelist would never do it."

Finally everyone was safe on the docks.

"Yug, I'm sorry about that." Jounouchi apologized.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. In the end, you not only saved our friendship, but you also saved me." Yugi said.

"I had no choice! Once I realized what I was doing, I had to save you! Or die trying." Jounouchi said.

"It's okay." Yugi laughed.

"Marik made a total fool outta me! How can I show my face at the finals now?" Jounouchi cried.

Mai frowned and walked up to Jounouchi, slapping him.

"Get a hold of yourself Jounouchi!" She snapped.

Jounouchi stared at her with his hand on his cheek. Shocked.

"You showed real courage. Just like you did at Duelist Kingdom when you dueled for your sister. You're Shizuka's idol." Mai said.

"What kind of idol gets turned into a zombie and almost destroys his best friend?" Jounouchi asked.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." Kay piped in. "Shizuka gets her strength from her brother. That's why she waited until now to take her bandages off."

"Oh yeah! Shizuka, you can see now!" Jounouchi said, amazed.

Shizuka nodded.

"The first thing I saw was you saving Yugi. You showed me what real courage is. I made it through my operation because of you." She said before she hugged her brother. Jounouchi smiled and returned the hug while everyone watched happily.

Everyone looked out over the ocean as Jounouchi returned the Millennium Puzzle to Yugi.

"Thanks again for everything, Yug. I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have friends like these!" He said.

Yugi looked down at the Puzzle.

"Thank you Pharaoh, for trusting me enough to let me handle this on my own. We make a good team, but it's nice to know I have the strength to stand on my own." He said. "And you helped me find strength."

Off to the side, Kaiba and Mokuba stood together and Kay walked over to them.

"Are you coming with us, Kay?" Mokuba asked.

"You guys are preparing for the finals, right? I think I'll hang around everyone else for a little while." She said and grinned jokingly. "Besides, your guys' jobs sound dull."

Mokuba blinked. "Well...okay." He said, laughing a little.

"Let's go." Kaiba said simply and turned to walk away with the other two.

Yugi looked at the three.

"KAIBA! MOKUBA! THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!" He called after them.

"I did what I had to do." Kaiba said. "I'll see you all at the Battle City finals."

"That's right! With all this excitement, I forgot about the finals!" Yugi exclaimed. "That may be where Marik comes after us next."

"Whenever Marik comes back, I'll be ready for him." Yami said in spirit.

Kay grinned in excitement.

"Oh Yeah! The finals are just around the corner! And I'm all set...to...huh?" She checked her pockets, trying to find her locator cards. "Where...are my locator cards?"

"Your locator cards? Don't tell me you lost them!" Yugi said.

Kay frowned and checked herself some more.

"They're...they're gone..." She said in a small voice until she was hit with realization. "The...ARRRRGGGG!!! THOSE STUPID RARE HUNTERS! They must have stolen my locator cards when I was passed out!"

Jounouchi burst out laughing.

"Seriously?! Isn't that a stroke of bad luck! I had all my locator cards when I was passed out with the Rare Hunters and they didn't steal mine!" He laughed. "Sucks for you!"

Kay glared at Jounouchi furiously and punched him in the stomach. Jounouchi's laughing stopped and he reeled back, clutching his stomach and coughing.

"Shut UP, Jounouchi! Idiot!" She snapped.

"I have to be honest, Jounouchi. You deserved that." Mai said, standing next to him.

"Why...me...?" Jounouchi barely spoke, still clutching his stomach in pain.

Kay crossed her arms and grumbled to herself. "I'll bet you anything they stole those to get Marik into the Battle City finals."

"I wouldn't doubt that, Kay." Cat said.

"Ugh! When I find Marik at the finals, he'll be sent to the hospital before he can duel!" Kay snapped before muttering a couple of curse words to herself.

Honda pretended to push everyone back.  
"Angry woman in the area. Give her some room."

Before Kay could rant again, her cell phone suddenly went off. She sighed and tried to calm herself down before she answered it. When she did answer it, there was still a slight annoyance in her voice.

After she greeted the person on the other line, she stepped away from the group of friends to talk.

Cat smiled weakly at Jounouchi, who had just recovered from the pain in his stomach and was being teased by Mai.  
She turned to face Yugi.

"Um, Yugi?" She asked.

Yugi looked up at Cat.

"Yes, what is it?" He asked.

"Well...after watching all of these duels...and how much you're all forced to fight against people who are trying to attack you...I...want to help." Cat said, a little nervous asking.

Yugi blinked in surprise.

"You want to help us?" He asked.

Cat nodded.

"Yes. But, um...my main request is...that...well...c-could you teach me how to play Duel Monsters?" She asked, her hands in a pleading position. "O-Of course sometime when you're not busy and only if you want to!"

Yugi smiled.

"That's great! The Pharaoh is an excellent duelist and I'm sure he wouldn't mind teaching you how to play and a few tricks." He said.

Cat looked slightly surprised at the sudden mention of the Pharaoh.

"Oh? Uh...well..."

"Too bad you don't have your deck with you. We could have started your lessons today." Yugi said.

"Actually, I do have my deck. I have a card carrier similar to yours. It came with the deck my friend gave me." Cat said, gesturing to her belt with a card carrier on it. "You said you wanted to see my deck sometime, so I brought it with me this morning. But this last duel gave me a desire to learn about the game."

"I see. Which reminds me...I have a few questions for you. When your friend gave you those cards, how many did she...or he...give you?" Yugi asked.

Cat thought for a moment.

"Umm...she actually gave me a whole suitcase full." She replied.

Yugi's eyes popped wide open.

"A-A WHOLE SUITCASE?!" He cried in shock, sweatdropping.

"Well...you see, she had been collecting the cards for a long time. And after a while, she lost interest in the game. So before I left America, she gave them to me." Cat explained. "I know very little about the game...minor basics at the most...and through those basics, I was able to create myself a deck. As for actual game play...well, I'm not too sharp on that."

"I-I see." Yugi said, calming down from his sudden surprise. "Well, the Pharaoh would be happy to teach you the game. If and when we have some free time in the finals, we can do lessons then, okay?"

Cat smiled and nodded once.

"Okay!"

Kay returned to the group, putting her cell phone back in her pocket.  
"So...guys?" She said, now completely calm and almost a little happy. "I have to run somewhere for a little while. I'll meet you all at the finals location, okay?"

"Will you know where the finals are located without your locator cards?" Mai asked

Kay smiled a little.

"C'mon. I spend a lot of my time with Seto and Mokuba. I was with them when they were figuring out Battle City. I know where the finals are, so no need to worry about me." She said.

"Okay. We'll see you there then." Anzu said.

"Try not to be late!" Honda said, waving.

Kay nodded.

"See you guys!" She said before running off to find a taxi.

* * *

**Hehe...sorry for the lack of updates the past two days. That duel in the Battle City Tournament was hard for me since I wasn't sure how I was going to make it sound different from my first version of the story. But...it ended up being the same. Sigh...**

**But that's okay. There's a few minor changes in there...plus the ending of the chapter is different too.  
Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chapter! :D  
**


	12. Kaiba Craft 3

"Hey! Why are we parking so far away?" Jounouchi asked as everyone got out of Mai's car.

They had parked a couple of blocks away from the Kaiba Corp. Stadium.

"So we won't get stuck in traffic after the tournament. Besides, we can't really drive any further." Mai replied.

Everyone stretched after they got out of Mai's car. There were only five seats in her car and there were eight people. So they had to do their best to fit everyone in.

"Not the most comfortable ride ever." Honda said, stretching his back.

"Better than walking." Otogi pointed out, stretching his arms.

"Good point." Honda mummered.

"Heh, looks like you've got another crack at the championship, Mai." Jounouchi said, grinning a little.

"Yes and I'm going to crush you and Yugi this time." Mai agreed with a smile.

"Do they always talk like this?" Cat asked Yugi.

Yugi laughed a little.

"Yeah. Jounouchi and Mai have a close bond." He replied.

* * *

Kaiba and Mokuba awaited everyone's arrival in the stadium.

"You two. Turn on the stadium lights." Kaiba ordered two of his men. "I thought I heard something. No one is to enter the stadium without first reporting to me!"

After the lights lit up the stadium, eight people suddenly arrived at the stadium entrance.

Yugi, Jounouchi, Cat, Mai, Shizuka, Otogi, Anzu and Honda.

"This place is still under construction." Otogi pointed out.

"It seems like we're unfashionably early." Mai mummered.

"Welcome. Please present your locator cards." One of Kaiba's men said to the group.

Yugi, Jounouchi and Mai did so.

Kaiba's second man walked up and handed them each a card.

"These are your tournament IDs. Make sure you keep these cards with you at all times." The man said. "The other three finalists will be arriving shortly."

Kaiba continued to wait, thinking to himself that it didn't matter, because they were all going to lose to him soon enough.

Another person walked into the stadium.

Yugi frowned, thinking to himself that he was having a bad feeling about it. He briefly wondered if it could be Marik.

It was indeed Marik, but that was unknown to the others, for they knew him as "Namu".

"Hey! It's Namu!" Jounouchi said cheerfully. "He's the one who helped rescue Bakura!"

Jounouchi, Cat and Anzu ran over to greet him.

"Hello everyone." Marik said with a smile. "How is Bakura doing?"

Jounouchi smiled but something suddenly felt odd. He suddenly felt that he couldn't trust Namu.

Remembering back to earlier that day, when they were captured by the Rare Hunters, Jounouchi noticed that Cat and Anzu were the only ones captured by the Rare Hunters while Namu was safe.

"I've had nothing but good luck since I met you three. I'm winning every duel!" Marik said innocently with a smile.

Suddenly Cat got a sudden flash in her mind and her eyes went blank for a moment. It was Marik's mind control.

Marik grinned silently to himself. He had placed a part of his mind within Cat's when she was capture by the Rare Hunters along with Jounouchi and Anzu.

"_Since I no longer need to try and hold this girl hostage any longer, the least I can do is use her when necessary._" He thought to himself.

"Yugi, this is Namu. Not only did he save Bakura's life, he's also one of the finalists." Cat introduced Namu to Yugi while briefly under Marik's control. "Isn't that right Jounouchi?"

"Hm?" Jounouchi asked, breaking out of his earlier thoughts. "What did you say?"

"I've heard about you, Yugi." Marik said, turning to Yugi.

"Any friend of Jounouchi, Anzu and Cat's is a friend of mine." Yugi said with a smile, shaking Marik's hand.

Jounouchi watched the two, pondering the fact that maybe Namu wasn't as suspicious as he first thought.

"Guys, look! Isn't that Bakura?" Anzu asked, stopping the conversations.

Indeed, Bakura had just walked into the stadium. He still wore his bandage, which was still blood stained.

"Bakura? What are you doing here? Are you sure you're well enough to be here?" Jounouchi asked.

"I'm fine." Bakura said. "I've won all the necessary locator cards and I'm a finalist now."

Everyone was shocked by this.

Marik smirked. He was happy that Bakura was holding up his end of the bargain. Bakura and him had made a bargain to work together.

Yugi was still shocked. According to his friends, Bakura could barely walk when they left him! How did he win all the locator cards?

Bakura distracted everyone's shock by pointing out that another finalist was coming.

Everyone turned to the stadium doorway to find Rishid!

"H-Hey! It's him!" Mokuba cried.

"That's right!" Jounouchi agreed. "He was one of the guys that captured us!"

"My name is Marik." Rishid said.

Jounouchi quickly confronted him.

"I'm gonna kick your brainwashing keister!" He snapped.

Kaiba glared at Rishid. "I should disqualify you, Marik, for what you did to my little brother and Kay. But I want your God card." He said.

After he spoke, Kaiba realized something. Where WAS Kay anyways? She was supposed to be a finalist...

The announcements started.

"This will not be the site of the Battle City finals. The actual tournament arena will be arriving any moment." One of Kaiba's men announced.

Just as the man finished, a large blimp that belonged to Kaiba Corp., flew over the stadium. It was called, "Kaiba Craft 3".

The airship landed in the stadium.

"Everyone get on board!" Mokuba told everyone.

Rishid and Marik were the first to board. Followed by Mai, Yugi, Bakura and Jounouchi.

But when the rest tried to board, one of Kaiba's men stopped them.

"No one is allowed on board without a tournament ID." The man said to the five.

"But I've been looking forward to seeing my brother duel!" Shizuka explained.

The other four joined in.

"Yeah, c'mon! Give us a break!" Honda said.

Mokuba stepped up.

"Give it a rest." He said to the man. "I don't have a tournament ID and I'm going."

"But they're Mr. Kaiba's rules." The man protested.

"Seto?" Mokuba asked, turning to Kaiba.

Kaiba shrugged.

"Whatever." He said.

Honda, Cat, Shizuka, Anzu and Otogi smiled as they boarded.

"Just let the dweebs go." Kaiba said to his employee and was about to board the airship before something stopped him.

"WAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! SETO!"

Kay was running up to the airship with another girl. The two stopped in front of the steps to catch their breath.

"Where have you been?! We were about to leave without you!" Kaiba said, frowning.

"I'm...sorry..." Kay panted. "I...had to...pick up...my friend."

Kaiba glanced the girl next to Kay and glanced back at Kay.

"Anyways, I'm here...ready to go." Kay said and stepped towards the stairs.

"W-Wait Ms. Simms. Your locator cards?" One of Kaiba's men asked.

The man's sentence earned an immediate glare from Kay.

"Oh, you just HAD to remind me!" She growled. "I'm afraid I'm only watching this time."

"What? Don't tell me you weren't able to win six locator cards!" Kaiba said.

"That's not it!" Kay said, shaking her head. "When those stupid Rare Hunters kidnapped me and Mokuba, they stole my locator cards after they knocked me out!"

Kaiba sighed, arms crossed.

"Marik..." He growled quietly to himself before turning and climbing the steps. "You and your friend can still board, Kay."

Kay smiled and followed him with the steps with her friend.

"Begin take-off immediately." Kaiba said to his men.

"B-But sir! What about the last finalist? They haven't arrived yet!" One of the men protested.

"I don't care." Kaiba said before returning to the inside of the blimp.

Just after that, a woman walked into the stadium, wearing a veil. It was Ishizu.

"I'm here to save my brother." She said to herself before presenting the six locator cards to the men, receiving her ID and boarding the ship.

The airship finally took off and everyone gathered in the observation lounge to watch the city below, through the windows.

"Jounouchi, thanks for bringing me." Shizuka said.

Jounouchi laughed.

"It's just one of the many perks of being related to a champion!" He said.

Just as he said that, Kaiba was passing by.

"You're only here by a fluke. Don't get your hopes up too high. It's a long way down and monkey's can't fly." Kaiba said as he continued to walk past them.

Jounouchi became enraged at Kaiba's comment.

"HEY! Get back here rich boy and say that to my FACE!" He yelled at Kaiba.

"Yugi. I know you haven't played your God card yet, but you'd better have it in your deck during the finals, because I intend to win it!" Kaiba said to Yugi. "When this tournament is over, I'll be the world's greatest duelist and the owner of all three Egyptian God cards."

Yami stood by Yugi in spirit, glaring at Kaiba as he spoke to them.

Kaiba then turned and walked away.

"I have a tournament to run." He said.

"Yes, Seto is always like that Ki-Ki." Kay said to her friend.

"Hey Kay! I'm glad you could make it!"

Kay looked over at Yugi and his friends, approaching her.

"Oh, yeah. Barely though." She said. "I had to go pick up my friend. Her name is Kristen Nakai." Kay gestured to Kristen. "She's a close friend of mine and she's visiting from America. She'll be here a while."

Kristen shyly smiled at the group.

"H-Hello." She said quietly.

Kristan's hairstyle was similar to Anzu's, only Kristan's hair was longer, ending just past her shoulders. That and the top of her hair wasn't exactly the same as Anzu's.

Her hair was brown and her eyes were blue. Her skin, like Kay's was pale.

Like the other girls, she was thin and petite.

She was wearing a blue shirt with a purple jacket over it. Along with it, she wore shorts, a blue choker and sandals.

"She kind of looks like you, Anzu." Shizuka said.

Anzu tiled her head.

"Kind of." She agreed.

Yugi smiled at her.

"It's nice to meet you! I hope we can all become your friend." He said.

"Th-Thank you." Kristen said, still smiling shyly. "I hope we can become great friends as well."

* * *

Later, everyone had gone to their rooms, which were accessed by their ID cards.

Jounouchi took Shizuka to his room.

Shizuka rushed in excitedly and looked out one of the porthole windows.

"Wow! The view is so beautiful!" She exclaimed before turning back to Jounouchi. "Thank you for bringing me here. And for the operation that made it possible for me to see it. It's like a dream."

"No, thank you." Jounouchi said.

"I should be the one thanking you. You're the greatest brother and my best friend." Shizuka said.

Jounouchi suddenly got teary eyed, touched by his sister's words.

"S-Sorry...it must be allergies." He said, wiping his eyes. "I couldn't have gotten here without your help. And I'm gonna do my best and not let anything distract me!"

Suddenly, Honda, Anzu and Otogi burst into Jounouchi's room.

"What the?!" Jounouchi cried.

"We need somewhere to crash while Kaiba's people try to find some rooms for us." Honda explained before him and Otogi started to raid the refrigerator.

Anzu started to look over the room service menu.

Jounouchi got angry.

"Hey! All of ya! Get out of my room!" He snapped.

"Jounouchi, be a good sport." Shizuka said.

"I don't know how I'm gonna focus on my duels with all this going on!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

Honda grinned as he suddenly decided that he would ask Shizuka to check out the romantic view with him.

But before he could make a move, Otogi beat him.

Honda wept with disappointment while Jounouchi collapsed into a chair in disgust.

Honda then tossed Jounouchi a soda after he finished weeping.

"Sorry for crashing your private time with your sister." He said.

"Go bother Yugi." Jounouchi mummered.

"We wanted to make sure Yugi had some peace and quiet before the finals." Honda explained.

"Hey! I'm dueling too ya know!" Jounouchi reminded him before sighing hopelessly. "Thanks for taking care of Shizuka, by the way."

"It's no problem." Honda said with a grin.

* * *

"No, really...you need to focus on the tournament." Cat said, looking a little tired. "I-I can wait until after the tournament."

Yami frowned, his arms crossed over his chest.  
"It's fine. I've already made up my mind. Let's go." He said. "We have time before the first duel begins anyways."

Cat sighed, a look of defeat on her face. Yami seemed almost eager to start teaching Cat about Duel Monsters. He really did love the game.

"A-Alright...but only something short. You need to focus on the tournament." Cat said, walking into Yugi's room.

The two sat down at a table that was in the room.

"First off, I'd like to see your deck." Yami said.  
Cat pulled out her deck from her card carrier and handed it to Yami.

There was silence between the two as Yami went through her deck. Once he was finished, he set her deck onto the table and looked back up at Cat.

"I'm a little surprised. Usually beginners have simpler decks with weaker monsters. This seems like...a strong deck for a beginner." He said.

Cat raised her eyebrows.  
"R-Really? Should I change it?" She asked.

Yami shook his head.

"No, it's fine. If you knew enough minor basics to build this deck, then you should be fine with it." He said.

"I see." Cat mummered, leaning on the table, tired.

"Now then. Since you really want me to focus on the tournament...and since I believe I should too, I'll give you something to work on while I'm doing that." Yami said.

Cat nodded as he began to explain the lesson.

* * *

"It's almost time." Kaiba said to himself as he sat in his room.

Outside of Kaiba's door was his employees. They were about to knock on his door until Mokuba stopped them.

"We need to tell Mr. Kaiba about the arrival of the final duelist." One of the men said.

"We'll tell him later. Seto is preparing for his duels." Mokuba said, warning them off.

Inside the room, Kaiba was going through his deck while Kay sat on the bed on the other side of the room, reading a book.

Kristen was sticking around with Kay, but was currently in the restroom.

Kay would occasionally glance over the book at Kaiba.

"The moment I've been waiting for is about to arrive. With Obelisk, I'll beat both Yugi and Marik! And once I have all three God cards, I'll be unbeatable!" Kaiba said to himself with a smirk.

Kay rolled her eyes and looked back at her book, wondering if he often talked to himself out loud like that.

* * *

Yami sat in his room, looking at his own God card, Slifer.

"If we really want to stop Marik, we'll have to do as Kaiba says and put Slifer in our deck." Yugi said, standing next to Yami in spirit. "And no matter what, we must believe in our deck and ourselves."

"You've made the correct decision." Yami said. "We're going to need that card. The Battle City finals will be an epic clash between the three Egyptian God cards."

"I'm also a little worried about Bakura." Yugi said. "I wonder if the person with us is really Bakura. I remember we dueled with the spirit of the Millennium Ring at Duelist Kingdom. But Honda got rid of the Ring. So how could the spirit be back?"

"You can't predict the path of a Millennium Item. The Ring must have found its way back to Bakura." Yami said. "Now winning will be harder than ever. But we have to win. The fate of the world depends on it."

Yugi nodded and looked over his shoulder at Cat. He looked back at Yami before looking back at Cat quickly.

"Um...is she okay?" He asked.

Yami looked over at Cat as well. She was slumped against the table, head and arms on it.

Standing up, Yami went over to her to check. He sat on the other side of the table again and examined her.

"Just sleeping." He said.

"How did she fall asleep so quickly?" Yugi asked before he stopped. "Well...it's been a long and tiring day...I can't blame her." He answered his own question.

Yami rested his head in his hand and frowned.

"Does she always drop her guard so easily in front of others?" He mummered. "So careless."

"True...Cat does seem like the kind of person to get herself into trouble just by dropping her guard in front of the wrong people." Yugi said.

Yami continued to frown.  
"I don't understand." He whispered to himself.

"Huh?" Yugi asked, hearing what he whispered. "What don't you understand?"

"This girl...she seems so familiar from long ago." Yami said.

"Well, Marik did say she was connected to your past, right?" Yugi pointed out.

"True." He mummered. "I keep wondering...just how is she connected to my past? And why do I feel very protective of her?"

Yugi listened.

"Hmph. It doesn't make sense. She's just barely become a friend to me and yet she feels so familiar to me." Yami mummered. "It's frustrating not knowing how she's connected to my past."

Yugi looked a little hesitant. He still wanted to wait until the tournament was over before he and Cat told the Pharaoh what the connection was. But...seeing his best friend getting frustrated over this made him feel bad for the Pharaoh.

Maybe it would be okay to tell him.

"Um...Pharaoh. Me and Cat wanted to wait until after the tournament to tell you so you could focus on your battle with Marik...but...about her connection to your past...well...she's..."

Yami looked up at Yugi, wide-eyed at the fact that Yugi knew something.

But before Yugi could continue, an announcement over the intercoms were made.

"The Battle City finals are about to begin. All duelists, please meet in the main hall!"

The announcement woke Cat up.

She yawned, putting a hand over her mouth as she sat up.

"I fell asleep?" She mummered. "Ugh, I don't usually do that. I must have been really tired." She rubbed her eyes.

Yugi sighed.

"We'll have to tell you later." He said before disappearing back into the Millennium Puzzle.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep. If there's time after the first duel, I'll be sure to work on the card exercises you taught me." Cat said, smiling sheepishly.

"No...if you need sleep, you should get that first." Yami said in a quieter tone.

"Okay." Cat said before standing up. "Well, we should go."

She turned and walked towards the doorway.

As she left, Yami watched her.

"_Both Cat and Yugi know something...I suppose I can understand why they wanted to wait until after the tournament..._" He thought to himself before he stood up as well and left the room.

* * *

**Hmm...not much to say about this chapter...lol**

**Well, see you next chapter! :D  
**


	13. A Grandmother's tears

After the announcement, Jounouchi was just leaving his room until he almost ran into Kaiba. He screeched to a stop.

"Winners first, monkey boy." Kaiba said to Jounouchi before moving on. Kay, Kristen and Mokuba followed him.

Jounouchi growled.

"HEY! You wanna PIECE OF ME?! Get back here Kaiba!" He shouted at Kaiba.

But Kaiba ignored him.

Marik had just got out of his room and looked at Jounouchi.

"May the best duelist win." He said kindly.

"I will." Jounouchi grumbled.

* * *

"The blimp is a nice touch, huh Yugi?" Mai said to Yami. "Kaiba spared no expense, but I'm ready to stop schmoozing and start dueling!"

"Good luck in the finals, Mai." Yami said.

While everyone was waiting, Jounouchi was busy loading up his plate with food.

"Kaiba's gonna be sorry he made it an all-you-can-eat, by the time I'm through!" He snickered to himself.

He paused as he passed Rishid. Jounouchi gave him a fierce look and accidentally ran into Bakura.

"Oops! Sorry Bakura." Jounouchi said with a grin. "By the way, how did you manage to qualify for the finals so quickly?"

"I dueled Bonz and his gang in the cemetery, making them give up all their locator cards when I won." Bakura answered.

Jounouchi looked slightly freaked out as he backed away warily. Bakura was acting pretty casual about the cemetery duel.

"Good luck in the finals, Jounouchi." Bakura said with a smile, obliviously.

Jounouchi silently hoped he wouldn't have to duel Bakura as he moved over to join Anzu, Honda, Cat and Shizuka at one of the food tables.

"Hey Cat, why aren't you eating?" Jounouchi asked.

"I'm not really all that hungry. I'm more tired than anything else." Cat replied with a weak smile.

"Oh." Jounouchi simply said and looked at Kaiba who was passing by. "Hey Kaiba! When are we going to find out who we're going to duel?"

"You're in quite a rush to lose, Katsuya." Kaiba said before he used his lapel radio to order the proceedings to begin.

Jounouchi glared at Kaiba for his first comment.

Not too much later, all the finalists arrived in the room.

Kaiba snapped his fingers and the lights went down as a large high-tech bingo machine, which looked like a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, rose from a dais at the end of the room.

"The first two duelists will be chosen by lottery." One of Kaiba's employees said. "The second pair of duelists won't be selected until the first duel has ended. So the duelists won't know whom they're dueling until just before the match. Does everyone remember his or her number?"

Kaiba was 1. Jounouchi was 2. Yami was 3. Mai was 4. Marik was 5. Bakura was 6. Rishid was 7. And Ishizu was 8. (Even though no one knew Ishizu was the last finalist.)

The employee activated the machine and the numbered balls spun around.

One of them was swallowed up by one of the Blue-Eyes' heads and rolled out into a trough.

"The first duelist is number 6!" The man said.

Bakura laughed nervously.

"Will you be okay?" Honda asked Bakura.

"I think you should really be in bed, resting." Anzu said to Bakura.

Jounouchi frowned.  
Something wasn't right. No way Bakura could have healed that fast.

"I-I'm fine." Bakura said. "I'm just surprised that I was chosen so quickly."

The second duelist was chosen. Number 3, Yami.

"The chosen duelists must proceed immediately to the Stratos Dueling Arena." The announcer said.

"I wonder how Bakura will fare against Yugi's God card?" Kaiba asked himself quietly.

"Where...I'm glad I'm not dueling Bakura." Jounouchi whispered to himself.

"The duel will be held according to Battle City rules! The winner will receive the loser's rarest card." The announcer said.

"_I hope Yugi and Yami will be alright. I have a really bad feeling about Bakura for some reason...ugh, it's weird. I don't even know the guy!_" Cat thought to herself, frowning at the floor. She sighed.

Ever since she moved to Domino City...strange things seemed to be happening all the time. To her at least.

All of the sudden, she moves to Domino City by herself. She befriends Yugi, Jounouchi, Anzu and Honda. She meets the Pharaoh that was in love with her ancestor, 3,000 years ago and befriends him. She gets kidnapped by the Rare Hunters and gets rescued by Yami. And all of the sudden, a seemingly harmless card tournament turns into a battle against a madman who can control people's minds! And somehow, she's a part of all this!

Cat shut her eyes tightly. So much has happened so quickly and just now did she realize how overwhelming it was, when she thought about it.

"_I guess I could say the weird things officially started when grandma gave me this cartouche._" She re-opened her eyes and picked up her cartouche, looking at it. "_I...I wonder if mom did the right thing, declining to inherit this necklace. I wonder if mom would have gone through what I'm going through if she had the cartouche instead of me._"

Cat closed her eyes again, remembering the time when she recieved the cartouche.

* * *

_"Cat...I want you to have this."_

_Cat's grandmother stretched out her old and shaky hand, handing the silver cartouche to Cat._

_"This...?" Cat asked, looking at the cartouche in her own hand._

_Her grandmother smiled as she laid in her bed._

_"Your mother wouldn't accept it. It's our family heirloom that is passed down to all the girls of the family." She said. _

_"I-I remember this. You told me the story behind it when I was younger." Cat said. "You always wore this necklace. Everyday."_

_Her grandmother nodded._

_"Yes." She said before telling Cat the story again._

_Cat listened._

_"Cat...my darling granddaughter..." Cat's grandmother held out her hand and Cat took it in her own. "I believe that good things will come with this cartouche. Your destiny surrounds it."_

_"Grandma...what makes you think that?" Cat asked, looking a little skeptic. "It's just an old family heirloom."_

_Her grandmother chuckled._

_"It's just a feeling, dear. I could be wrong. But...either way, I'm happy you accepted it." She said, tears in her eyes. _

_The sight of her grandmother's tears caused Cat to shed a few tears as she gently gripped her grandmother's hand._

* * *

_"Those dreams you're having are probably because of the story behind that necklace that your grandmother told you before she passed away. It must have left a strong impact on you." Serenity said, looking at her daughter, Cat._

_Cat glanced at the ground._

_"Sounds...reasonable...but it still bugs me, mom." She said._

_Serenity smiled a little and kissed her daughter's head before hugging her._

_"I'm sorry sweety. I wish I could make the dreams go away." She said. "Just try not to think about the story so much."_

_Cat hugged her mother back while in thought._

_"Mom...grandma said that you didn't accept the cartouche. How come?" She asked._

_Serenity thought for a moment._

_"Well...I believed my mother, your grandma, took the cartouche and the story behind it too seriously. And at the time...I didn't care. The time she offered it to me was before I married your father. It hurt my mother that I didn't care about it...and I felt and still feel horrible about that. After me and your father had you, I figured that you'd probably appriciate it more than me." She explained. "So when you were a little baby, I suggested to your grandmother, that she should give it to you when you grew up. I think that made her feel happy. Of course if you didn't want it, Cat, we weren't going to force you to keep it."_

_"I see." Cat mummered, looking up at her mother. _

_Serenity rubbed the top of Cat's head and kissed it again._

_"Just don't read too much into the story." She said._

* * *

"Cat?"

Cat's eyes flew open as she broke out of her memories. Yami was standing next to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You've been like that for a little while...and we're about to head up to the dueling arena."

"O-Oh...yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. I...er, spaced out." Cat replied, smiling a little.

Yami smiled.

"Heh, that seems dangerous for a girl like you." He said. "C'mon. We're heading to the duel arena."

Cat nodded once and followed him and everyone else.

"_Soon, Bakura will win Yugi's God card and then it will be mine!_" Marik thought to himself, grinning.

* * *

Yami Bakura grinned. He knew that this duel would bring him one step closer to gaining all seven Millennium Items.

Yami Bakura was the evil spirit within Bakura's Millennium Ring. He often took over the innocent Bakura to do his evil work.

The announcer took Yami and Bakura up the elevator to the dueling arena.

Yami knew he was going to be dueling against the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring.

The arena was outside, on top of the blimp.

Everyone else arrived on the observation level to watch the duel while they shivered in the cold.

"Kaiba Craft 3 is now cruising at an altitude of four thousand feet!" Kaiba announced. "The strong winds and cold air will test your strength and stamina! If you can't take it, you don't belong here!"

"That's cool!" Honda and Otogi exclaimed at the same time.

"Oh shut up, you're not even dueling." Kay said to the two.

"She's got a point." Cat added in.

"Bakura! Admit to who you really are!" Yami said to Bakura.

Bakura laughed as he changed into Yami Bakura, the Millennium Ring appearing around his neck.

Everyone gasped when they spotted the Millennium Ring.

"It can't be! I tossed the Ring deep into the woods at Duelist Kingdom! How could it have returned to Bakura?" Honda cried.

"What's the big deal?" Marik asked innocently.

Jounouchi attempted to explain the Millennium Items and the spirits that lived inside both of them.

"You see, Yugi is good while Bakura's bad." Jounouchi explained.

"What do you hope to gain by joining the Battle City finals?" Yami asked Bakura. "Is it about the Millennium Items?"

"I think you already know that I want the Millennium Items." Yami Bakura said. "But I should warn you. You should probably take a closer look at your friends. You may notice something."

Marik suddenly appeared in Yami Bakura's mind.  
"Behave! Or I'll take over your body and duel Yugi myself!" He warned Bakura.

"If you could defeat Yugi, you would have done it already." Yami Bakura said to Marik.

The duel began.

* * *

"You're losing you fool!" Marik snapped at Bakura, in his mind.

It was well into the duel and at the time, Yami was able to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon. Yami Bakura was in a tight spot.

"I have a plan, though." Marik said.

"Slifer! Attack Baku-!" Yami was about to launch the attack, but his Millennium Puzzle gave him a sudden jolt, stopping him.

Rishid, whom everyone still thought was Marik, approached the arena.

"You'd better wait before attacking, Yugi." Rishid warned.

"What?! Yugi doesn't have to listen to you, ya CREEP!" Jounouchi snapped about was about to get after Rishid until Honda and Otogi held him back.

The real Marik looked on at the scene, smiling.

"Who do you think you are, interrupting the duel?!" Mokuba snapped at Rishid.

"Bakura is now under the control of the Millennium Rod and I plan to use it to release Bakura from the control of the spirit of the Millennium Ring." Rishid said.

"The only way for you to win is to free the mind of the boy you possess." Marik said to Yami Bakura. "Yugi won't destroy his friend."

Yami Bakura smirked in agreement and suddenly released regular Bakura.

Bakura fell to his knees onto the arena, clutching his arm in pain.

"What...what am I doing here?" He asked.

"Maybe you should reconsider your attack, Yugi." Rishid said to Yami. "Without the spirit of the Ring, Bakura is weak and Slifer's attack could do him some real damage."

"Only a coward would do something like this to win a duel!" Yami yelled at Rishid.

"Yeah! That's a cheap trick!" Jounouchi agreed.

Rishid, without another word, turned and left.

"Well done, Rishid." Marik told Rishid.

"Ugh...Yugi, I don't feel well..." Bakura said.

Yami was about to go to him, but Roland, the announcer and referee of the finals, stopped him.

"You'll forfeit the duel if you touch your opponent." Roland told him.

"That's not fair!" Anzu cried.

"Bakura needs help!" Honda yelled.

"Please stop the duel!" Cat cried.

"Yeah! This is more serious than a duel!" Otogi shouted.

"Stop the duel now!" Jounouchi yelled.

"This is the perfect plan." Marik said to himself. "With Bakura hurt, the Pharaoh won't attack and he'll lose the duel."

"Yugi, continue the match." Roland said to Yami. "Or forfeit it."

Yami didn't know what to do! He couldn't lose the duel! But he couldn't risk hurting Bakura either!

"Yugi! Just finish him off!" Kaiba said to Yami.

"You must make your move or be disqualified!" Roland said to Yami.

"Seto! You have to do something!" Kay snapped. "Bakura needs medical help!"

"He'll be fine." Kaiba mummered.

Kay glared at him.

"No he WON'T!" She snapped.

Jounouchi started to climb onto the arena to try and convince Roland to stop the duel. Honda and Otogi followed him.

Roland warned Jounouchi to get down or he would be disqualified.

For a moment, that wasn't going to stop Jounouchi, but Honda and Otogi, once again, had to restrain him.

"Keep going Yugi." Roland said to Yami.

Yami Bakura appeared next to Marik in spirit.

"We're about to win. Yugi would never attack his friend." Yami Bakura said.

"Unless he wants to win the finals." Marik added in.

Yami Bakura suddenly became worried.

"What if Yugi DOES attack and my host gets damaged? I need that body and I must protect it." He said.

Quickly, Yami Bakura took over Bakura's body again and stood strong on the dueling platform.

"I'm back!" Yami Bakura said to Yami. "Go for it! Attack me!"

Yami was surprised at the evil spirit's sudden return, but attacked anyways, with Slifer.

Yami Bakura took the attack, laughing all the way. Slifer's attack flooded the arena with light and Yami won the duel.

Bakura layed on the field as soon as Roland announced that Yami was the winner.

Yami and the others ran over to Bakura, who was weak, but conscious.

Honda picked him up.

"Let's take him to his room." He said.

Everyone started on their way to Bakura's room.

Yami stayed behind.

"I'm glad Bakura's okay." He said to himself. "If the spirit hadn't come back, I don't know what I would have done. The Ring is like my Puzzle. It holds an ancient spirit that needs someone else in order to exist. Even though the spirit of the Ring is evil, it needs Bakura to survive."

Yugi appeared next to him in spirit.

"The big difference, though, is that your spirit and my spirit are friends who support each other. Together, we'll figure out the secrets of your past and stop Marik from taking your power. Your destiny is my destiny too! And we'll win together!" Yugi said.

Yugi and Yami did a high five before Yugi took over and followed after everyone else.

Yami appeared next to Yugi in spirit.

"Yugi...before we were called to gather for the duels, you were about to tell me what you knew about Cat's connection." He said.

"Oh! Th-That? Um...well..." Yugi mummered. He was cut off when Roland stopped him.

"According to Battle City rules, you're entitled to Bakura's rarest card." He said.

"Bakura's been through enough." Yugi said to Roland and ran off without taking Bakura's rarest card before returning his attention back to Yami. "We'll have to talk later."

Mokuba watched Yugi run off.

"I knew Yugi would win." He said.

"It was no surprise." Kaiba agreed. "With a card as powerful as Slifer the Sky Dragon in his deck, Yugi will be difficult to defeat. Unless his opponent also has a God card."

* * *

Everyone crowded around Bakura's bed.

"He needs some rest." Otogi said. "But we need to land the blimp to get him to a hospital."

"some crazy stuff went on in that duel." Jounouchi said.

"It sounds like Marik and the evil spirit of the Ring are working together." Cat said.

"Yeah, I think so too." Yugi agreed.

Jounouchi jumped up.

"That's it! I'm ready to take on Marik!" He said, determined.

"Actually, Jounouchi, I think it's time to talk to Kaiba about landing the airship to get help for Bakura." Honda said.

Everyone was about to leave until Yugi stopped.

"Hey! The Millennium Ring is gone! Bakura had it around his neck during the duel." He exclaimed. "But it's no longer there!"

"That thing seems to come and go as it pleases." Honda said.

"Maybe that God card blasted it." Jounouchi suggested.

"Who knows. But right now, we should really try and get some help for Bakura." Otogi said.

"But we can't leave him by himself." Anzu said.

"I'll stay here and watch over him." Cat volunteered.

"Alright. We'll be back soon." Yugi said as him and the others left the room.

Cat nodded and sat on a stool next to Bakura.

Once everyone was gone, Cat's eyes suddenly went blank.

Marik laughed as Cat held the Millennium Ring in her hand.

* * *

**Well, we got a peek of Cat's past. (Even though it really wasn't much of a peek...it was less than a peek...I don't even know what to call it...I'm just rambling cuz I've been running on two hours of sleep. Ugh.)**

**Anyways...I hope you enjoyed it!  
See you next chapter! :D  
**


	14. Learning the Truth

"There will be a half-hour intermission before the next duel!"

The announcement rang throughout the airship.

Everyone stood in the hallway.

"We have to help Bakura." Yugi said.

"Yeah! We should go find Kaiba. He should be in one of these rooms." Jounouchi said, looking around.

Just then, Mokuba entered through the elevator.

"Hey you guys. You're in a restricted area." He said.

"Mokuba, where is Kaiba?" Yugi asked.

Mokuba pointed to room number 1.

"But you don't want to disturb him." He said.

Jounouchi, of course, ignored Mokuba's words and was already pounding on Kaiba's door.

"Kaiba! Get out here!" He yelled.

Mokuba jumped.

"J-Jounouchi! Stop it!" He cried. But once again, Jounouchi ignored Mokuba.

Kaiba finally opened the door and loomed over Jounouchi, who jumped back in surprise at the door suddenly opening.

"You're lucky to even be in my tournament, yet you insist on making a nuisance of yourself over and over." Kaiba said.

Jounouchi was about to blow up again until Honda jumped in front of Jounouchi.

"Calm down, Jounouchi." Honda said.

"You have to help us, Kaiba." Yugi said. "Bakura's hurt and we have to land so we can get him to a doctor."

Kaiba retreated into his room.

"It's impossible." He said.

Unsatisfied, everyone followed him into his room.

"C'mon Kaiba!" Otogi said.

"We need you to do this for us!" Anzu joined in.

"Please Kaiba? Show some compassion." Shizuka pleaded.

"Yeah, Kaiba! Listen to Shizuka!" Both Honda and Otogi said at the same time.

"It's Bakura's own fault. He shouldn't have left the hospital in the first place." Kaiba said.

"But he's really hurt. Please Kaiba?" Shizuka continued to beg.

"Kaiba! If you don't land this blimp, I'm gonna knock you to the ground!" Jounouchi snapped.

Kaiba sighed, getting tired of everyone's begging.

"Fine." He said before ordering a medical team to be sent to Bakura's room.

"The on-board medical staff has better training than most hospitals." Kay explained to everyone as she put down her book. She was sitting on Kaiba's bed again, reading.

Kristen sat next to her, looking at everyone else.

"Where did you two come from?" Jounouchi asked.

"Pssh. Don't be stupid Jounouchi. We were in here the whole time, reading, until you practically broke down the door." Kay said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kristen smiled at everyone.

"Bakura's in good hands." She said.

Everyone accepted this answer and left Kaiba's room.

"That was an amazing speech, Shizuka!" Honda complemented.

Otogi took Shizuka's hands.  
"I was moved too." He said.

Shizuka blushed and looked at the ground.

"I'm not so great." She said.

"I wonder if Bakura's really going to be okay." Jounouchi mummered.

"I hope so." Yugi said.

"We still have to find Bakura's Millennium Ring." Honda said. "Leave it to me and Otogi! You and Jounouchi have to focus on the finals."

Honda then dragged a hesitent Otogi away from Shizuka to help him with the search.

* * *

"The remaining finalists must now report to the main concourse!"

Shadi had appeared on the blimp. He first saved Otogi and Honda from falling off the blimp earlier. And he just finished having a conversation with Yugi and Yami.

Shadi was the guardian of the Millennium Items. He was an obvious Egyptian who had tan skin and wore a robe and a turban and large gold earrings. He was also the owner of the Millennium Key, which allowed him to look into people's hearts. No one really knew much about him yet. He often just appeared and disappeared at random.

Yami left his room to find the gang in the hallways.

"Dude! A freaky guy in a robe saved Otogi and me! I'm serious!" Honda was telling Jounouchi.

"I didn't actually see the guy, but someone had to have pulled us up." Otogi said.

"Quit playing jokes." Jounouchi said.

"I wonder if there really was some kind of ghost." Shizuka wondered.

Jounouchi suddenly looked spooked.

"G-Ghosts don't exists!" He said.

Yami walked up from behind Jounouchi and put a hand on his shoulder, causing Jounouchi to jump.

"GYAH!" Jounouchi cried.

Everyone laughed.

* * *

Cat was still in Bakura's room, under Marik's control and holding onto the Millennium Ring.

"I think I'll keep the Ring for now. Along with the occasional control of Cat's mind." Marik said.

Shadi suddenly appeared next to Cat.

He knew that his Millennium Key was shielding him from her sight.

"_The mystic disturbance that brought me here is the strongest in this room! The destinies of certain Millennium Items are being manipulated! And until harmony is restored, the world will be in grave peril!_" Shadi thought to himself.

* * *

Everyone gathered in the main concourse, where Roland welcomed then all.

"The bingo machine will now randomly select the next two duelists!" Mokuba announced.

Everyone watched the numbered balls bounce around the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Bingo machine.

The first duelist was chosen. Number 2, Jounouchi Katsuya!

And his opponent was...number 7! Rishid!

Yami looked at Rishid, knowing that he probably was planning to use his Millennium Rod to win. Jounouchi had better be prepared for anything.

Jounouchi made some threatening noises at Rishid and Rishid only stared back at him, grimly.

* * *

Jounouchi and Rishid faced each other on the dueling platform, where they shuffled each other's decks.

"Go Jounouchi!" Honda cheered.

"Jounouchi looks really fired up." Yami pointed out.

"When Jounouchi gets fired up, he tends to shoot his mouth off." Honda said. "He'd better watch that with Marik."

"Honda's right. Jounouchi's got to stay focused." Mai agreed.

Jounouchi continued shuffling, growling fiercely at Rishid.

"I hope Jounouchi will be alright." Shizuka said.

"This is the first time Shizuka gets to see Jounouchi duel, right?" Anzu asked.

"With you here to cheer Jounouchi on, he won't lose." Yami said to Shizuka.

"Yeah." Cat agreed, smiling at Shizuka. Cat had left Bakura's room to watch Jounouchi's duel. "Cheer your best for your brother."

"Jounouchi...I think you've shuffled enough." Roland said to Jounouchi.

Finally the duelists took back their decks and went to their positions.

"I'll make you wish you never tried to mind control me!" Jounouchi snapped at Rishid. "I'll win in nine turns!"

"Where did Jounouchi come up with nine?" Kay asked.

"With Jounouchi, you don't ask." Honda replied.

"Jounouchi's pretty wonderful to have figured out the whole duel in advance!" Shizuka said with amazement.

Everyone just started at her and sweatdropped.

Suddenly, Rishid held up something that looked like the Millennium Rod and Jounouchi cringed.

"I knew Marik would use the Rod." Yami mummered.

"Hey! Point that thing somewhere else!" Jounouchi snapped at Rishid.

Rishid silently put the Rod away.

Marik smirked. He knew that the Rod Rishid had was merely a replica of his own.

"_But I'm concerned about Kaiba. Little Yugi isn't the only one standing between me and the power of the Pharaoh. The ancient tablets also depicts a sorcerer who bears a striking resemblance to Kaiba, and who holds the Millennium Rod. But before the finals are over, Kaiba's God card, Obelisk the Tormentor, will belong to me! I'll show Kaiba what true power is all about!_" Marik thought to himself before glancing over at Kay and Cat. "_And those two women…if they learn about their pasts, then they'll be standing in the way as well. Especially that "Kay" girl. If she were to team up with Kaiba, they would be a very difficult opponent. Hmph, and whether Cat knows about her ancient connection or not, she's too scared of me to do anything_."

"If Marik is the leader of the Rare Hunters, he must have a ton of rare cards in his deck." Mokuba said.

"There's only one card in Marik's deck I care about. His God card." Kaiba said. "The Winged Dragon of Ra. I hope that hack, Jounouchi Katsuya, will last long enough in the duel so I can see how Ra works so I can win it for myself."

The duel began.

* * *

Jounouchi held Rishid up, who was barely conscious. Jounouchi had won the duel and Rishid had lost. They also had just found out that Rishid wasn't the real Marik.

Plus the Millennium Rod and Winged Dragon of Ra card he had were also fake.

Rishid collapsed because the Winged Dragon of Ra punished him. Only people connected to the ancient scriptures were allowed to use a God card.

Yami came onto the platform with the two.

"I'm sorry Jounouchi...it was an honor to duel you." Rishid said.

"Yeah. You too." Jounouchi agreed. "Who are you really?"

"I am a servant of the real Marik." Rishid explained and pointed at Marik, who was clutching his head, the real Millennium Rod in his hand. He was struggling with his evil side.

"Tell us your true identity!" Yami cried out to Marik.

Marik then turned on them.

"You're all fools!" He said. "I am the real Marik!"

"So this is who has the real Winged Dragon of Ra." Kaiba mummered to himself.

"At last, I can finish the job my pathetic servants couldn't!" Marik continued.

Suddenly Marik's face contorted as his dark side began to emerge.

"I was afraid of this." Rishid said. "Beware the great evil hidden within Marik! He's no longer able to contain it."

After Rishid said these words, he passed out.

Everyone continued to watch Marik as he continued to struggle with his dark side. The Millennium Symbol glowed on Marik's forehead as Yami Marik then took control.

"Now I'm free! And I'll do things my way!" He laughed. "I am the true Marik! And I'll finish the job my weaker self couldn't! Rishid's failure proved that only a chosen few can control the Egyptian God cards! Kaiba is one."

"That's nonsense! I control Obelisk because I'm a master duelist!" Kaiba said.

"You can't escape your three thousand year old memories." Yami Marik said and then glanced at the group of friends and chuckled. "And I see...two others that could use the God cards."

The group looked at each other, confused.

Yami looked at his friends.

"There's another?" He asked.

"The ultimate battle begins now!" Yami Marik laughed.

* * *

Everyone was gathered around Rishid's bedside.

"How is he?" Jounouchi asked a doctor.

"His tests are fine. But the mental stress he's been through has left him unconscious." The doctor explained.

"He's lucky to be all right." Anzu said.

"Yeah." Jounouchi agreed.

"First Bakura, now him. So many people have been hurt in this tournament." Kristen said, looking a little sad.

"We were both standing right there when the Egyptian God monster went "kerblooey". But I'm perfectly fine." Jounouchi said.

"We won't find out who this guy is until he wakes up." Otogi said.

"Whoever he was, he was determined to protect Marik as long as he could." Yami mummered.

"And for what?!" Jounouchi cried. "Now he's lying in a hospital bed and Marik couldn't care less!"

"I feel sorry for him. It's times when you're down, you need friends around the most." Mai said.

"I get it!" Jounouchi cried and looked at everyone excitedly. "I was able to get up after getting hit by that lightening bolt because you were all with me!"

During the duel Jounouchi was struck by one of the lightening bolts from the Winged Dragon of Ra. He temporarily passed out and had a dream about everyone. Yugi, Honda, Anzu, Cat, Mai, Shizuka, Otogi, ect. And they were all encouraging him.

"What? Like that dream you had involving vanilla pudding and a monkey?" Honda snickered.

Jounouchi started to fume and jumped on Honda.

"It's almost time for Seto to pick the next two duelists." Kay reminded them.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and left the room.

When they reached the door, Mai stopped Jounouchi.

"Hey Jounouchi? In that dream where you said everyone helped you up...was I in there?" She asked.

Jounouchi suddenly got all flustered.

Mai WAS in there too, but he was to embarrassed to say.

"N-No! You weren't there. Most of my dreams are about manly stuff!" He said, trying to keep his composure and look cool before walking off.

"Idiot!" Anzu mummered to herself.

Jounouchi continued walking down the hallway.

"Where...that was a close one." He mummered. "The last thing I want is for Mai to think I'm thinking about her."

Anzu followed him and grabbed him by the ear.

"Hey! Why are you so mean?!" Anzu snapped. "Mai wanted to feel like your friend, but you were too immature to let her! GROW UP!" She yelled in his ear before marching away angrily, leaving Jounouchi dazed from the words she yelled in his ear.

Mai was still in Rishid's room, looking at the floor.

"He's not the only forgotten one." She mummered, glancing at Rishid. "I'm used to it anyways. I'm a loner. Who needs friends? There's only one person you can count on in the heat of a battle and that's yourself!"

* * *

Yami moved away from his friends to walk alone for a little while.

He walked down an empty hallway for a while before stopping.

"Yugi. We have time before the duelists are picked. I'd like you to tell me now." He said.

Yugi appeared next to him in spirit.

"Whaaat? You want to talk about it now?" He asked and sighed. "Okay...I guess now would be the time to do it."

Yami listened carefully to every word Yugi said to him as he explained everything. The further the story went, the more motionless and shocked Yami became.

"So, when you think about it, everything makes sense. Why Marik was after her and your confusion on why she seemed so familiar." Yugi finished.

Yami didn't move or say anything for almost 15 seconds. He stared at Yugi, shocked.

"It...does. A little." He said slowly. "So...I...was in love with her ancestor." He sighed and frowned a little, placing a hand on his face. "I...I don't remember it at all."

"You don't remember anything? Not even the littlest bit?" Yugi asked. Yami shook his head. "Well...at least now you know the connection. We wanted to wait until after the tournament because we were afraid you would lose your focus."

Yami didn't reply.

"Oh! There you are!"

Yami's back was to the person, so Yugi looked past him to see the person. He glanced at Yami before returning to the Millennium Puzzle.

Cat was walking up to Yami from behind.

"Jounouchi asked me to look for you." She said, smiling. "The duelists are about to be chosen."

Slowly, Yami turned around to face her. His hand dropped from his face whlie his expression stayed the same.

The expression on Yami's face caused Cat to stop walking, her smile fading. The two stared at each other for a little while.

"Um...? Are...are you okay?" Cat asked.

Yami closed his eyes and sighed. Now that he knew about the connection, it almost seemed awkward seeing her. But the mere fact that he had been in _love_ with this girl's ancestor was surprising enough. He had to accept the fact that his past was going to hold many surprises and things he didn't expect, like this.

Re-opening his eyes, his face turned back into his normal expression.

"I'm fine. Sorry." He said. "Thanks for letting me know. We should probably head back then."

Cat's smile returned, but it held confusion now. What was his expression earlier all about?

* * *

**Yeeep. 'Nother chapter. :D**

**But guess what else? There's TWO chapters today! I went on a writing spree. Lol. :)**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See ya next chappie! :D  
**


	15. Darkness vs Darkness

"She's not waking up." Shizuka said to Jounouchi worriedly.

Mai had just lost a duel with Marik. She was now under Marik's spell and if they didn't save her, she was going to die.

"Mai..." Jounouchi said sadly.

"She can't hear you." Anzu said. "Marik trapped her mind."

"This tournament has gotten way out of hand!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"It's because there's a mind-warping psycho on board." Otogi said.

Everyone frowned at Otogi.

"What? I'm just being honest!"

"The tournament wasn't supposed to turn out like this." Kay said, looking at Mai sadly.

Kristen looked at Kay worriedly.

"So...will she be okay?" She asked. "Even after all those horrible things you told me that Marik has done...will she...?"

"I'm honestly not sure, Ki-Ki. But we're going to try and save her." Kay answered.

It was time for the fourth duel to begin.

"I'll stay here with Mai." Shizuka said.

Everyone nodded and headed up to the dueling arena where Kaiba was already waiting.

Everyone had dueled except for Kaiba and Ishizu. It was their turn to duel.

Once everyone had made it out, they waited for the duel to begin.

While they were waiting, Mokuba contacted Kaiba, telling him on his lapel radio that the Winged Dragon of Ra card, had been successfully scanned into the mainframe, and the network was translation the Egyptian text on the card.

They had found on in Mai's duel against Marik, that you could only use the Winged Dragon of Ra if you could translate the text on the card.

Everyone was still waiting. Ishizu was late.

"If the next duelists doesn't arrive in the next five minutes, Seto Kaiba will be awarded an automatic victory!" Roland announced.

Kaiba stepped into the dueling ring and waited, wondering if his opponent decided to back out of the duel.

Suddenly, the elevator arrived and Ishizu stepped into the ring.

"The duel between Seto Kaiba and...um..." Roland looked a little taken aback. He didn't know Ishizu's name!

"You've got a lot of nerve showing up late. Were you scared?" Kaiba asked Ishizu.

Instead of replying, Ishizu calmly walked to her side of the ring and pulled down the veil that was covering her face.

Anzu looked surprised, recognizing Ishizu from the museum. Kaiba and Cat recognized her as well.

"_I wonder what she's doing here...?_" Cat thought to herself.

"Call me Ishizu Ishtar." Ishizu said to Roland.

"Well this is quite the surprise." Kaiba said to Ishizu.

"Yes, we meet again." Ishizu said.

"Did you come to win Obelisk back?" Kaiba asked.

"I've come to save my brother." Ishizu replied. "For the past three thousand years, the Ishtars have stood guard over the Pharaoh's tomb, but Marik turned against us. And the evil in him is stronger now. Marik is my brother."

Jounouchi made a face.  
"Oh man! One Ishtar was bad enough!" He cried.

"She can't be any worse than Marik." Honda said. Otogi agreed.

"My Millennium Necklace gives me the power to see the future and I see that you are about to lose this duel, Kaiba." Ishizu said.

"Hmph. I don't appricate you using my tournament to solve your family issues." Kaiba said. "I made this tournament with one goal in mind-to relcaim my place as the number one duelist in the world!"

"It was my idea to organize the tournament, in order to lure in duelists like my brother. And my plan worked. My brother is here. But the hardest task is yet to come." Ishizu said. "To save my brother, I need the help of the Pharaoh, which is why Yugi needed to join the tournament as well."

"That sounds foolish." Kaiba said.

"I've shown you that you can trace your origins back to ancient Egypt as well." Ishizu said.

"I've heard enough! I'm a duelist and I plan to win this tournament no matter what you and your demented brother believe!" Kaiba said.

* * *

Kaiba entered the computer room on the airship.

Kay and Mokuba were both working on the text while Kristen watched.

The duel between Kaiba and Ishizu was over with Kaiba as the winner.

"Have you been able to translate the text on the Winged Dragon of Ra?" He asked Mokuba.

"I'm pretty close." Mokuba said. "But for some reason, the network is still having trouble with the last few words."

Kaiba looked at the image of the text. He gasped.

"I…I can read it!" He exclaimed.

"You what?" Kay asked.

Kaiba then remembered something Marik said. Something about that the words on the card were written in an ancient text used by high-ranking officials in Egypt.

He then remembered Ishizu telling Kaiba how he was the sorcerer opposing the Pharaoh on the carved stone tablet.

And finally, while he was dueling Ishizu, he had a sudden vision of an ancient version of himself, kneeling in front of a carving of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, holding a girl in his arms.

Two other girls were near him, including another man.

One of the girls was mourning with him.

"I am the CEO of Kaiba Corp.! Not an ancient magician!" Kaiba insisted to himself. But it was soon that Kaiba fell to his knees, unable to deal with the vision that he saw.

"Seto! Are you okay?!" Kay cried and kneeled next to him.

"Wh-What's wrong with him?" Kristen asked.

"Seto!" Mokuba also cried.

* * *

"Round one of the Battle City finals are over! The four remaining finalists are Yugi, Jounouchi, Kaiba and Marik! The competition will resume tomorrow when we land at our next duelist site!" Roland announced.  
Everyone was in the hallway, listening to the announcement.

"I guess we're not dueling on a blimp anymore." Jounouchi said. "That's good. I was getting airsick."

"But the important thing is, is that we both made it to the next round." Yami said. "We should get some rest."

"Things are getting pretty intense. Bakura and Rishid are knocked out while Mai's under Marik's spell." Anzu said.

"It's all because of Marik." Yami said.

"Don't worry! We'll stop that creep!" Jounouchi said with confidence.

* * *

Everyone was just about to check up on Mai until Ishizu came up to them.

"Can I visit Mai with you?" She asked.

"Sure. You can come with us." Yugi said.

Everyone walked into Mai's room where Shizuka was still watching over Mai.

"Mai hasn't said a word." Shizuka reported.

"Sorry Mai...for letting you down." Jounouchi said. "I promise I'll get your revenge for you."

"Anger and revenge will only make things worse." Cat pointed out. "That's how Mai got this way. Marik is so full of anger and hate, that he enjoys making other people suffer."

"When I took off my bandages, this isn't want I wanted to see!" Shizuka said before she began to cry.

Anzu tried to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, Shizuka." Jounouchi mummered.

"There is hope ahead." Ishizu said. "Where there is evil, there is also good. Marik was once good. He began his life as an innocent child, but that innocence disappeared, leaving him with a dark hole where his heart once was. I remember when this evil was born. It happened on the night that Marik was given the Tomb Keepers initiation and inhearited the task of protecting the Pharaoh's tomb."

Everyone listened quietly.

"Now this evil has completely taken over my brother's body." Ishizu continued.

"What if there's no way to save your brother? It might be too late." Yugi said.

"Yeah, Yug's got a point there." Jounouchi said.

"It's kinda hard to believe Marik was ever nice." Honda said.

Otogi nodded.

"You must trust me. I know there is hope. It wasn't that long ago that Marik began to lose his way." Ishizu said. "For three thousand years, the Ishtars have guarded the Pharaoh's tomb, waiting for the Pharaoh's return. As the first born son, Marik was required to bear the Pharaoh's secret on his back. And he was forbidden to ever leave the tomb."

She began to tell them the story.

"Now that Marik had seen the outside world, forgetting it was impossible. Marik and me disobeyed our father and went to the outside world. But once we returned, we were caught. Odion was punished and that's when Marik's evil side started to come out." Ishizu continued.

"Are we supposed to feel sorry for that spoiled brat because he grew into an evil nutcase?" Jounouchi asked Ishizu. "He's trapped Mai and now she's living out her worst nightmares! I'm going to make him pay!"

"It's possible to destroy the evil within my brother without destroying the good." Ishizu said to Yugi. "I have realized now that destinies can be changed. As the Pharaoh's vessel, you have the power to do it."

"Everyone is to return to their rooms in two minutes." Roland announced.

"I'll crash in Jounouchi's room." Honda said.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Who said you could?" Jounouchi protested.

"Jounouchi, your room is like a palace. You'll never know I was there." Honda said.

"I'll know by the smell." Jounouchi said. "Good Night Shizuka. Yugi, we'd better get some rest. Odds are, one of us will have to duel Marik, so we'd better be ready."

"How do you know that you and Yugi won't be dueling each other in the finals?" Cat asked.

Jounouchi freaked out.

"Watch it! You might jinx us!" He cried.

Cat laughed.

Ishizu took off her Millennium Necklace and handed it to Yugi.

"I no longer have any use for it. It no longer shows me the future." She said. "I've completed my mission and now it's your turn."

* * *

Jounouchi, Yugi, Otogi, Honda and Anzu headed for their rooms.

Yugi held the Millennium Necklace and Puzzle in his hands.

"Now that I have two Millennium Items, I'll need them both." He said to himself.

Ishizu also left the room, but Cat ran after her.

"Excuse me! Ishizu!" She called.

Ishizu stopped and turned around to look at Cat.

"Ah...yes, I remember you." Ishizu said as Cat approached her.

"Um...that day we met at the museum. After talking to me, you said that you didn't tell me everything. So..." Cat didn't finish her sentence.

Ishizu smiled a little.

"Your destiny has already been set into motion." She said. "Everything thing will become clear to you as time goes by. You don't need me telling you anything else."

Cat looked at Ishizu, uncertain.

Ishizu turned around to leave.

"But...I will tell you this." She said and looked over her shoulder. "I saw an ancient carving of your ancestor, Luna. You two look exactly the same." With that, she walked away, leaving Cat standing in the hallway alone, wide-eyed.

Exactly the same?

Before Cat could do anything else, she gasped as her eyes went blank again. Marik taking control.  
"I won't be discarded that easily." He said. "That fiend might have taken over my body, but a portion of my spirit remains within Cat."

Mind controlled Cat entered Bakura's room with the Millennium Ring. She placed it next to Bakura's head on his pillow.

Once she did that, Bakura's eye's flew open.

* * *

Yugi slept silently, his Millennium Puzzle on the pillow next to him.

Jounouchi and Honda had to share a bed while Otogi slept next to them on some tables that had been shoved together.

"Kaiba…I challenge you!" Jounouchi muttered in his sleep before accidentally punching Honda in his sleep.

Honda only turned over and continued to sleep.

In Mai's room, Shizuka was still there. She was slowly falling asleep.

Rishid was still unconscious and Ishizu slept in her room.

Anzu and Kristen was asleep in Kay's room. Kay let them sleep there for the night.

Cat laid half on and half off Bakura's now empty bed, sleeping.

Kaiba was sitting at his computer, continuing to study the text on the Winged Dragon of Ra. He was wondering while he could read it. He had seen Ra's abilities. He now needed to win it from Marik.

Kay was still sitting on Kaiba's bed, reading.

She silently wondered to herself if Kaiba ever slept.

* * *

Cat slowly woke up and lifted her head.

"I'm still in Bakura's room?" She asked herself and sleepily looked at Bakura's bed. "But…where is he?"

Cat quickly rubbed her eyes and stood up, leaving the room. She had to tell Yugi about this.

She hurried over to Yugi's door and knocked on it, waking Yugi up.

Yugi opened the door, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Cat? What's up?" He asked sleepily.

"Yugi, Bakura's gone!" Cat said.

"He's what?" Yugi asked.

And with that, they began their search.

The two had looked everywhere, but they hadn't found Bakura.

"I've got a feeling Marik's behind it." Yugi said.

"I wouldn't doubt that for a moment." Cat said.

* * *

Kaiba was still at his computer, studying the Winged Dragon of Ra.

Mokuba slept in a chair nearby, his brother's trench coat covering him. Kay remained where she was, but was slowly falling asleep herself.

Kaiba silently wondered to himself if he used his crush card combo against the Winged Dragon of Ra.

He gasped when he saw that the computer predicted only a 13% chance of victory.

Ra had even more power than he thought!

* * *

Yugi and Cat stood in the elevator as it rose up to the stratos dueling arena.

"The Stratos dueling arena is the only place we haven't checked." Yugi said.

Once they got off the elevator, they were shocked to see that the dueling arena was covered in a dark fog!

"Bakura must be in there dueling Marik!" Yugi exclaimed.

The Millennium Puzzle activated and Yami took over.

Cat didn't notice until after she said her next sentence.

"I don't know about you, but this place creeps me out." She said.

Yami turned to Cat.

"This is dangerous. Enough people have gotten hurt already. Cat will you go back downstairs?" Yami asked.

Cat stared at him.

"No. I'm not leaving you. I know I'm not any use, but I want to try and help!" She protested.

Yami sighed.

"Cat. I understand you want to help, but we can't risk anything happening to you. Marik is after you and I don't know what I'll do if he catches you." He explained calmly.

Cat looked determined.

"I-I understand the risks. But I can take care of myself. I'll be fine, I promise. So…please?" She said.

Yami looked to the ground and frowned for a moment.

"Alright." He said. "But stay near me, alright?"

Cat smiled.  
"Okay!" She said.

* * *

There was a duel between Yami Marik and Yami Bakura/Marik. Yami Bakura and Marik had caught Yami Marik moving to kill Rishid, but they stopped him, thus triggering the duel. And it had just ended. Yami Bakura had lost the duel.

"Get ready to enter the Darkness." Yami Marik said to Bakura with a smirk.

Yami Bakura only smiled.

"I am the Darkness!" He laughed as his body dissolved. "You haven't seen the last of me!"

* * *

Outside the cloud of darkness, Yami and Cat stood.

"I must put an end to Marik's evil plans. But Marik has apparently gotten stronger and more evil with each duel. Now Marik has been targeting our friends. He must be stopped before anyone else falls victim to his insanity." Yami explained.

Cat nodded.

But when Yami wasn't looking, Cat's eyes suddenly went blank. Marik hid inside her mind.

The shadows finally disappeared and Yami Marik picked up the Millennium Ring.

Yami approached him.

"What have you done with Bakura?" He demanded.

"Where does anyone go after losing a Shadow Game? It won't be long before you join him, Pharaoh." Yami Marik said smugly.

* * *

Ishizu was sleeping uneasily. Images of Winged Dragon of Ra were stuck in her mind. So were the images of her brother being consumed by the Shadows.

She suddenly woke up as Cat entered the room.

"Cat?" She asked. "What's wrong?"

But it wasn't Cat.

"Ishizu. I need your help." Marik said.

* * *

Yami Marik re-entered Rishid's room, his hidden dagger out again. He was intending to kill Rishid for the second time. The first time he was about to until Yami Bakura and Marik stopped him.

Now Yami Bakura was out of the way, no one could stop him.

But Rishid wasn't there.

Yami Marik frowned.

"Ishizu must have moved him." He said to himself.

* * *

Kaiba was still at his computer.

Mokuba was still sleeping on the chair and Kay had finally fallen asleep on the bed, her book set aside.

"It seems that certain secret abilities were added to the Winged Dragon of Ra when the card was created. I must possess it, if I am to regain my glory as the world's greatest duelist." Kaiba mummered to himself.

Mokuba slowly woke up.

"What are you still doing up?" He asked sleepily. "Even you need some sleep. The finals are tomorrow."

"I'm aware of that." Kaiba said. "That's what I'm preparing for."

* * *

**Not much else to say about the chapter...but I hope you enjoyed it! See you next chapter! :D**


	16. Hope Between the Tears

The morning came quicker than everyone had hoped.

It wasn't long until the airship had reached the island, where the finals were going to be held.

Everyone got off the ship and gathered at the base of the Duel Tower.

"This island is the site of the original Kaiba Corporation, but it tore it down. Now I plan to defeat Yugi at the top of my Duel Tower." Kaiba said to everyone.

Yugi switched to Yami and Jounouchi wasn't too happy about being ignored.

"Hey! I'm in the tournament too, ya know!" Jounouchi snapped. "I'll duel circles around ya!"

"You shouldn't even be in my tournament." Kaiba said to Jounouchi. "Amateur."

Honda had to hold Jounouchi back from attacking Kaiba.

"Save it for your duel!" Honda said.

Otogi looked around.

"You know...I just realized something. Where's Cat?" He asked.

Yami looked at him.

"She's not here?" He asked. "Is she still on the blimp?"

"Cat, being the person I think she is, probably didn't realize we've landed and is still in there." Kay said with a smile, trying not to laugh. "Sounds just like her. Should we go get her?"

"Well...we should check on her...to make sure she's at least alright." Yami said.

Kay grinned at his response.

Just then, Kristen ran out of the blimp.

"Oh! Ki-Ki! There you are! I was wondering where you were." Kay said as her friend approached them.

"Sorry I'm late." Kristen said with a small smile.

"Where's Cat? Isn't she coming too?" Honda asked.

"Um...well...she was still asleep when I left." Kristen replied. "I didn't want to disturb her."

"A-Asleep?! How can she be sleeping in of all days? That's something I would expect Jounouchi to do!" Kay exclaimed. She ignored Jounouchi's growls after she said that. "It probably would have been a better idea to just wake her up."

"S-Sorry." Kristen said.

Kay shook her head. "It's fine. I guess I could go and wake her up while everyone else goes ahead." She said.

"No need."

Everyone looked at the blimp to find Cat walking out of it, rubbing her eyes and still looking tired.

"Picked the wrong day to sleep in, huh?" Kay asked, hands on her hips.

"Sorry." Cat yawned as she approached them. "I was just really tired is all."

"Well, now that you're here, we can head into the Duel Tower." Yami said with a small smile.

Everyone then walked into the Duel Tower, Kaiba leading the way.

* * *

Since there were four finalists left, they had a four-way duel to decide who would duel who.

Unfortunately, Jounouchi was stuck in a duel with Yami Marik. Even though Jounouchi was eager to try and beat him, Yami and everyone else weren't so happy about it. They were worried about Jounouchi.

And it appeared that their fears had come true.

"The duel is over!" Roland announced.

Everyone looked on in horror. Jounouchi had just lost the duel against Yami Marik. He laid unconscious on the dueling platform.

Mokuba lept up onto the platform.

"Forget the duel!" He said to Roland and shook Jounouchi. "Wake up!"

"Yami Marik is the winner!" Roland announced anyways.

Ignoring Roland, Mokuba held is hand up to Jounouchi's mouth and nose. He gasped.

"H-He's not breathing!" He cried.

Everyone looked horrified and rushed up onto the platform.

"Roland! We have to get Jounouchi downstairs right away! He needs to see a doctor!" Mokuba ordered.

Kaiba watched, thinking to himself that he never would have thought that Jounouchi could withstand an attack by the most powerful Egyptian God card.

Honda lifted Jounouchi by the shoulders and shook him. "Jounouchi! Wake up!" He cried.

"Jounouchi...please, no!" Shizuka cried.

Honda then held Jounouchi up by the shirt, ready to punch him.

"Stop fooling around and get him!" He cried, anger and despair obvious on his face.

"Honda! Calm down!" Otogi cried as he stopped him, holding back his pulled back arm. "Mokuba, where is that doctor?!"

"They're on their way." Mokuba answered as Honda screamed out in frustration.

Yami stood by, completely frozen.

"Fight it..." He said to Jounouchi.

Yugi appeared next to Yami in spirit form, falling to his knees, crying.

"We can't lose Jounouchi!" He cried.

Kay stared at Jounouchi with a sad frown on her face.

"That idiot...he was one turn away from winning..." She said quietly.

Kristen stood next to her. Her hand was over her mouth and her eyes were full of shock and sadness.

Kaiba frowned.

"His performance was quite impressive...maybe he's not the third-rate amateur I thought he was." He mummered to himself.

Yami Marik laughed.

"Now that Jounouchi's out of the way, nothing will stop me now!" He laughed.

"Shut up!" Yami snapped. "Jounouchi's not dead yet!"

"He will be soon." Yami Marik said smugly before turning and walking away.

Finally, the stretcher arrived and took Jounouchi away.

"You're all wasting your time." Yami Marik said to everyone as he passed by. "Jounouchi will never awaken."

Everyone followed the stretcher except for Yami, who stood along in the middle of the duel ring.

"The next semi-final will take place in one hour!" Roland announced.

"I've been waiting for this moment, Yugi. Victory will be mine." Kaiba said to Yami.

"Once I know Jounouchi's all right, I'll deal with you." Yami said, before walking to the elevator.

"I'll see you in one hour." Kaiba said.

* * *

Jounouchi laid on a bed in the infirmary on the ship, wired up to machines.

"His brain is functioning normally and his heart rate is fine." The doctor reported to everyone.

"He doesn't look fine!" Anzu cried.

Shizuka was weeping at Jounouchi's side.

"Please...open your eyes." She wept.

"It's very strange. His brain activity is quite high, but he's not conscious at all." The doctor said.

Ishizu walked in, thinking to herself that Jounouchi's will must be quite strong to stay alive. But there is nothing medical science could do for him.

Walking up to Shizuka, Ishizu placed her hands on her shoulders.

"It's all right." She said. "Both of our brother's must now battle the darkness."

Mokuba soon showed up at the door, looking down at the floor.

"When are we moving Jounouchi to a real hospital?" Cat asked, rubbing her eyes from her own tears.

"I've got bad news...we're not moving Jounouchi. Seto's orders." Mokuba said in a low voice.

Honda ran up to him.

"You've got to be kidding!" He cried.

"Seto said that our own doctors are good enough. Besides, the ship's engines stopped working after we landed. We're not sure why, so we're going to look into that soon.

But don't worry, I'll radio headquarters for a helicopter to come and get Jounouchi." Mokuba explained.

"Thank you, Mokuba." Yami said.

"No problem. Just promise me that you won't tell Seto." Mokuba said before running off.

"At least Mokuba has a good head on his shoulders during times like these." Kristen said.

Yami stood by Jounouchi's bedside with Yugi next to him in spirit.

"It's all my fault this happened to him!" Yugi said before falling to his knees. He began to cry on the bed. "Please don't die, Jounouchi! I should have faced Marik!"

"No." Yami said before going out into the hallway, Yugi beside him on his hands and knees, still sobbing.

"Jounouchi, if you die...I..." He sobbed.

Yami switched off his Duel Disk and held it in his hand, looking at the floor. "I can't fight anymore." He mummered.

Briefly, he remembered the promise he made with Jounouchi at the beginning of Battle City. "To carry out my promise with Jounouchi should have been my goal in Battle City. Finding my memory, the God cards...it's all nothing compared to a promise to a friend. Did I sacrifice Jounouchi for that?"

Yami looked like he was about to cry as well. Yugi reached a hand out to his friend to try and comfort him, but instead, he let his hand drop and he faded within the Millennium Puzzle.

"_All I have left is hatred for Marik._" Yami thought to himself before he punched the wall. "But after that, what do I have left?"

He then leaned on his arm against the wall.

"Please don't die, Jounouchi." He begged.

All of the sudden, Jounouchi appeared next to him. Only it looked like that Jounouchi was a spirit.

"Hey Yug. What do you think a True Duelist is?" He asked.

When Yami looked up, Jounouchi was gone. He sighed, figuring it was wishful thinking. But all of the sudden, something in his pocked began to glow.

He pulled the item out of his pocket...it was the Millennium Necklace!

Yugi returned from the Puzzle to watch the Necklace as Yami held it in his hand. "That's right...Ishizu gave this to me." He said before frowning a little. "But the last time she used it to predict the future, it was wrong. Can I trust what it shows me?"

Closing his eyes, the Millennium Necklace then began to glow brighter.

A vision suddenly filled Yami's head. It was of himself and Jounouchi, facing each other on a city street, ready to duel one another.

"Our Battle City is not over." Jounouchi said in the vision.

Once Yami re-opened his eyes, a thought came to him.

"Maybe the Millennium Necklace is telling me that Jounouchi is going to be okay." He said to himself as the glow of the necklace faded. Placing the necklace back into his pocket, he put his Duel Disk back onto his arm. "I will believe this future and fight as a True Duelist."

He was about to return to the infirmary, until he almost ran into Cat!  
Cat stopped herself before she ran into him.

"O-Oh! Sorry about that. I figured you went back to your room...um...I'll get out of your way." She said quickly and moved to get past him.

"Hold on a minute, Cat. Where are you going?" Yami asked, causing Cat to stop.

Cat didn't turn around to face him. "J-Just a little fresh air." She replied.

"By yourself?" Yami asked.

"Th-There's not a problem with that, is there?" Cat asked, frowning to herself a little. She had tears brimming in her eyes that she was trying to hold back and she refused to turn and face Yami.

"Well...I suppose not. But the idea of you wandering around by yourself with Marik wandering around as well, doesn't give me a comfortable feeling." Yami replied.

"But...well...I..." Cat heard her voice crack. "I-I'll be fine!" She was about to run away.

"Cat. You realize it's okay to cry in front of others." Yami said.

Cat stopped again. She didn't answer for a moment.

Yami waited patiently for her reply.

Giving up, Cat turned around to face him, tears streaming from her eyes.

"I-I know...but...everyone is a-already in a negative m-mood in there. I-I shouldn't...a-add to it." She said in a shaky tone, trying to keep herself calm. "B-But...this...this has never h-happened before! J-Jounouchi is one of the only f-friends I've got here...and...a-and it saddens me to see h-him like this...!"

Yami smiled a little.

"I understand." He said. "It hurts me very much to see Jounouchi like this as well. But he'll be fine. I truly believe he'll be okay."

Cat stared at him for a moment.

"You think so...?" She asked. "Do you believe everyone else will be okay?"

Yami nodded.

"I do." He said.

"What makes you so sure?" Cat asked, doubt on her face.

"The Millennium Necklace Ishizu gave me showed me a future where Jounouchi was okay. And if Jounouchi came out okay, I can only assume that everyone else did as well." Yami said. "I will believe this future that was shown to me."

After a moment, the tears stopped and Cat smiled a little.

"You must have a talent for encouraging people." She said, rubbing her tears away.

Yami chuckled.

"Not really." He said.

"Duelists! Please come to the arena for the second semi-final!"

Yami and Cat glanced up at the speakers on the ceiling after the announcement was made. They looked at each other again.

"We should head back." Yami said.

Cat nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

Mokuba was currently trying to reach Kaiba Corporation to call for a helicopter.

"Ugh, the radio isn't working for some reason." He said to himself, frustrated.

Yami and Cat returned into the infirmary.

"Jounouchi's condition is the same." Honda said to them. "But knowing Jounouchi, he's doing whatever it takes to wake up."

Yami walked over to Jounouchi's bedside and looked down at him before picking up Jounouchi's Duel Disk and slipping it onto Jounouchi's arm.

"He would want this close by. For his toughest fight yet." Yami said. "Everyone, please look after him."

Yami walked out into the hallway to go to his next duel. Anzu ran after him.

"I can't believe that you're really going to duel!" She cried. "Have you forgotten how many people have gotten hurt in this tournament so far? I can't stand the thought of losing you too!"

"If I walk away now, everyone would have suffered for nothing." Yami replied. "If I give up now, I'd not only be giving up on Jounouchi, but everyone else as well. Stay with Jounouchi while I take care of Kaiba."

"But...!" Anzu began to protest.

"You have to trust him." Cat said to Anzu, taking a step out of the infirmary's doorway. The other two looked at her as she glanced down at the floor.

"I don't want him to go and risk himself either…but…there's no other choice. He's doing this because he wants to save Jounouchi, Mai, Bakura and prevent the same thing from happening to everyone else!" She said before hugging herself with one arm and looking up again. "And saving everyone will always have some sort of sacrifice."

Cat paused, remembering Luna and the Pharaoh. How they had to sacrifice their future together so the world could be safe. "But I truly know that there won't be any sacrifices, because I'm sure when Yami wins…everything will be fine again. If he can save the world once, he can do it again." She smiled. "And there is no one on earth that I trust more than Yami, to save everyone. I believe in him."

Honda, Kay, Kristen and Otogi came up to see what was going on.

Yami smiled at Cat.

"Thank you, Cat." He said.

"Yeah! Go get 'em Yugi!" Honda cheered.

"We know you can win!" Otogi added in.

"I will." Yami said before walking off.

Once Yami was out of sight, Anzu turned to Cat and frowned.

"Why did you let him go like that?!" She asked. "I know you were only trying to encourage him, but don't you care what happens to him at all?!"

"Of course I care." Cat replied. "I care a lot. But even if I hadn't said anything, I don't think you or anyone else would be able to stop him."

"And what makes you think that?" Anzu asked still frowning at Cat.

"Well…his determination is strong." Cat sighed. "He wants to protect us and the world from meeting the same fate as Jounouchi, Mai and Bakura. I don't think anyone can stop him from trying to save his friends. Besides…you and I are both scared of losing him, right? You do realize that if he just walked away, we would have lost him anyways, right? Plus, all of us…we would lose each other. I think…it's better that he fights his best."

"But you don't understand! You don't understand the bond that me, Jounouchi, and Honda share with him! You've hardly just became his friend! You don't have a bond!" Anzu protested.

Cat looked at the wall, hard.

"You're right." She smiled weakly. "We should be watching Jounouchi."

Cat then returned to the infirmary without another word.

After a moment, Kay, Honda and Otogi followed her.

Anzu continued to frown at the doorway with an angry and worried look.

* * *

**Okay! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. Didn't finish the chapter in time. Hehe...**

**Anywho, just in case if anyone gets confused, the scene when Yami and Yugi and the Millennium Necklace are written in the Japanese anime version. I thought it was kinda funny how in the English version of the anime, Yami's trying to be encouraging while in the REAL version (the Japanese one) he's all depressed, sad and losing hope. Guess it was too depressing for the dub. Lol**

** Don't get me wrong though. The dub version is all good with me too. :)**

**Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm not doing the Virtual World this time. It would have been fun to write and all...but I decided to leave it out this time. I'm trying to make things not sound like a YGO episode and have the OC's focused on a little more. And remembering when I wrote the Virtual World, it was hard to squeeze in the OC's as much as I would have liked.  
**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chappie! :D  
**


	17. Wake up, Jounouchi!

"If Yugi doesn't show up soon, you will automatically win the duel, Mr. Kaiba." Roland said.

"Yugi would be a fool not to show up." Kaiba said. "Thanks to Katsuya's little mishap, Yugi's wasting his time in the medical ward. But even Yugi's pathetic friends can keep me away from our duel!"

* * *

Yugi, in spirit form, wiped his eyes as him and Yami rode the elevator to the next duel.

"We mustn't let Jounouchi's struggle interfere with our concentration." Yami said. "In order to overcome Marik, we must get past Kaiba."

Yugi nodded before fading back into the Millennium Puzzle.

Yami finally arrived at the top of the tower and faced Kaiba.

"So, you decided to show up after all." Kaiba said.

"Of course. To miss this duel is to deny my destiny." Yami said.

"Spare me the drama." Kaiba said as the dueling platform began to rise. He smiled. "Why isn't the nerd herd here to cheer you on? Are they still trying to wake Katsuya up from his nap?"

"Jounouchi is in a great deal of danger!" Yami said angrily.

"Katsuya shouldn't have been here in the first place. I warned him not to play with the big boys. If a slap in the face by Ra didn't teach him any sense, then nothing will." Kaiba said.

Yami clenched his fists.

"That's enough! You have no idea how dangerous this Duel Monsters tournament has become! People's lives are at risk!" He snapped.

"The only one at risk is you. Once I win, you won't be number one anymore." Kaiba said.

"It's not always about being number one, Kaiba. It's about dueling with bravery, honor, and respect, and putting the needs of others ahead of your own. That's something Jounouchi did everyday of his life, and that's why he's in the hospital now! Because he put himself at risk to keep a promise to a friend." Yami said.

"Pathetic." Kaiba said. "Katsuya can do whatever he wants. But I'm in this for one reason only; to win the tournament and be recognized as the greatest duelist in the world! As far as I'm concerned, Katsuya never belonged here in the first place."

* * *

Shizuka continued to weep at Jounouchi's side.

Honda quickly jumped up.

"I think I saw his hand move!" He cried.

Everyone stared at his hand.

"It's just a reflex." Otogi said.

"Why isn't that emergency chopper here yet?" Honda wondered before running off to find Mokuba.

"Hang in there Jounouchi." Shizuka said.

"When did this tournament get so out of control? It's not fair! Why should my friends have to suffer?" Anzu cried.

"You must have faith in the light, Anzu." Ishizu said.

Cat sat by Shizuka, watching Jounouchi with her.

"I...believe Jounouchi will be okay too." She said quietly.

Shizuka looked up at her.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Your brother is strong. You know that, Shizuka. He's not going to give up to the darkness that easily. I mean…he's still alive, right? Plus, I have faith in Yami. I'm sure he can save Jounouchi and everyone else." Cat said.

Shizuka smiled a little.

"Yeah." She agreed.

* * *

Honda finally found Mokuba in the control room.

"What's up with the rescue team?!" He asked.

"I can't get through." Mokuba said. "Something's interfering with our communications."

Honda then snatched the headset away and began to shout into it.

* * *

"Although, I'm still worried." Shizuka said, staring at her brother.

"Jounouchi will get some help soon. Honda and Mokuba are working on it now." Anzu promised.

"If they've been gone this long, something must be wrong." Otogi said, all gloomy like.

"You're not helping." Kay said, glaring at Otogi.

Shizuka looked even more worried.

Otogi noticed this and quickly changed his tune.

"J-Jounouchi will be on his feet in no time!" He said with a smile.

"Exactly. Jounouchi will be okay. We just need to keep our hopes alive." Kristen added in.

"That's right." Cat agreed. "We have to have faith."

Anzu moved to the window and looked out it. "I hope Yugi's alright." She said.

Cat looked at Anzu for a moment, wondering if Anzu was mad at her for some reason.

* * *

"The radio still isn't working." Mokuba said after trying to contact headquarters.

"Maybe it would be faster to just fix the engine." Honda suggested.

"The crew is working on it, but it's in bad shape." Mokuba said.

All of the sudden, the lights flickered and came on. Along with the radio.

"An emergency helicopter is being dispatched immediately." The people on the radio said.

"The helicopter is on its way!" Mokuba said with a smile.

Honda grinned and ran off to tell Shizuka.

Mokuba then transmitted the duel to TV screens all over the city so that everyone could watch Yami and Kaiba's duel, before running off to watch it in person.

* * *

The duel had raged on between Yami and Kaiba.

Honda had already returned to the infirmary to report that a helicopter was on its way.

Kay, Honda, Cat, Kristen, Otogi, Shizuka and Anzu were watching the duel from the windows of the ship. But all they could see is light coming from the Duel Tower.

"Jounouchi needs to see this." Honda insisted with tears in his eyes. "It might wake him up."

Honda then pulled Jounouchi free form the electrodes monitoring his condition and dragged him over to the window, holding him up.

"Open your eyes and look! Yugi's in trouble and he needs your help, Jounouchi!" He said.

* * *

An hour had passed and the duel was still going.

Honda was still holding Jounouchi up to the window, watching the duel with the others. But before anyone noticed, Jounouchi's eyes slowly opened and the light returned to his eyes.

Cat gasped.

"Guys look! Jounouchi!" She cried.

Everyone looked at Jounouchi, realizing his eyes were open.

"Jounouchi! Are you awake?" Otogi asked.

"Say something!" Shizuka said.

Jounouchi lifted his head and looked around.  
"What's going on?" He asked. "Did someone get hurt?"

"Yes! Someone was knocked unconscious!" Honda said annoyed.

"Oh, I was the one?" Jounouchi asked.

Shizuka rushed over and hugged Jounouchi after Honda let go of him.

Everyone was near tears, happy to see that Jounouchi was okay.

"He's awake?" The doctor asked, astonished. "Someone in his condition could never recover that fast!"

Honda then suddenly grabbed Jounouchi by the shirt.

"Don't ever pull that again!" He snapped before bursting into tears. "You had the girls worried…of course I knew all along that you'd be okay."

Jounouchi looked baffled at Honda's outburst.

He suddenly remembered his duel with Marik and how he was fighting to save Mai. Jounouchi turned to look at Mai; still lying unconscious on the bed next to Jounouchi's while everyone stood by, silent.

Jounouchi rushed over to Mai, shaking her.

"Wake up, Mai!" He cried. "I was sure beating Marik would save you!"

"Um…Jounouchi…You have to know…" Shizuka started.

Jounouchi turned around. "What?" He asked.

"You lost the duel." Kristen said, finishing Shizuka's sentence.

"But I remember summoning Gearfried the Iron Knight and crushing him!" Jounouchi protested.

"You were playing a Shadow Game." Cat reminded him. "Marik was draining your strength. You did manage to summon a monster strong enough to defeat Marik, but before you could call your attack, you passed out."

Jounouchi was silent with shock for a moment; then began to tear up.

"I'm sorry Mai…I couldn't save you." He said.

While this was happening, the Kaiba Corp. helicopter arrived.

Jounouchi then grabbed Shizuka by the shoulders.  
"What's happened with Yugi?" He asked.

"Yugi's dueling Kaiba." Anzu replied.

"I have to get up there right now!" Jounouchi cried.

"You can't go." Anzu protested, but Jounouchi was quickly putting on his shoes.

"Yugi needs me!" Jounouchi cried and ran from the room.

"Hey! Get back in here and get back into bed!" The doctor shouted at Jounouchi.

While in the hallway, Jounouchi ran into the medical team from the helicopter.

"Excuse me, can you tell us where the patient is?" One of the men asked.

Everyone caught up with Jounouchi.

"The patient…is standing right there." The doctor said reluctantly, pointing at Jounouchi. "He was nearly in critical condition a minute ago."

"It was five minutes ago! And I'm fine now!" Jounouchi said before putting on his goofy fierce face. "I'm in the best shape of my career!"

"It's too dangerous for you to leave now! You need to be examined." The doctor insisted.

"I'm all right!" Jounouchi said before he began to run off again.

"Listen to the doctor!" Anzu yelled, stopping Jounouchi. "You were just in really bad shape and everyone was worried sick about you! And I'm upset because a lot of people have been getting hurt in this tournament!"

"I'm sorry I worried you all. But I have to go and be there for Yugi!" Jounouchi explained. "I came back for a reason. I made a promise to Yugi, to help him defeat Marik. My mind is made up. I'm going out there."

"I…understand." Anzu said, glancing down at the floor after a moment of thinking.

"Shizuka! Take care of Mai!" Jounouchi called before running back down the hallway.

"Jounouchi! Come back here!" The doctor continued to shout.

Everyone else followed Jounouchi.

* * *

"Kaiba…hatred never triumphs." Yami said after Yami had just won the duel.

"I…I can't believe I lost! I had the perfect strategy!" Kaiba cried.

"I think you were fighting for all the wrong reasons, and in the end, it was your own anger and jealousy that did that to you." Yami said.

The dueling platform lowered and Yami was declared the winner.

Jounouchi, Cat, Kay, Kristen, Honda, Otogi, Kay, and Anzu ran to them.

Yami looked surprised and happy to see Jounouchi.

"Jounouchi!" He said. "How did you wake up?"

Jounouchi grinned and shook his hand.

"I'd never let a freak show like Marik get the best of me!" He said.

Yugi appeared next to Yami in spirit form, weeping happily.

"That's awesome!" He cried. "Everyone's together again!"

"That was some ending, the way my Red-Eyes Black Dragon came through and helped you win, Yug!" Jounouchi said.

"You were snoozing, Jounouchi. But your Dragon wasn't!" Honda said.

Jounouchi laughed.

"Either way, I was there for my pal!" He said.

"That's right. If it weren't for you, Jounouchi, I would have never beaten Kaiba." Yami said.

Meanwhile, Mokuba fell to his knees, heartbroken by Kaiba's loss.

Kaiba stood alone, staring at his Duel Disk, wondering how his cards and strategies could have failed him.

Yami walked up to Kaiba.

"That was the most challenging duel I've ever fought." He said.

"Save it." Kaiba growled.

"Destiny may have chosen me to be the victor, but you fought well." Yami said.

"I don't need the pep talk." Kaiba said.

"You haven't learned anything from our duel, have you?" Yami asked. "You can never truly succeed until you've conquered the monsters in your heart. You were doomed from the start, fueled by your anger and hate, and by your denial of your past. But I was fueled by my faith in my destiny and my friends. Even though Jounouchi was unconscious for most of the duel, it was like Jounouchi was right there with me. I couldn't have won without him. I didn't win the duel alone. Me and Jounouchi did it together, using the card Jounouchi gave me. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon is no ordinary card. Its strength comes from the bond of my friendship with Jounouchi. And it means that I never duel alone."

Kaiba clenched his fists in anger.

"Every single one of you is alone!" He snapped. "I've never had to ask for anyone's help!"

"That's not true." Yami said. "I've helped you plenty of times and you've helped me. I wouldn't be the duelist I am today if you hadn't pushed me to be my best. You may be one of my toughest rivals, but I also consider you as a friend. Deep down, I believe that you feel the same way, Kaiba. You're just too caught up in your need for power to realize it."

"Friendship is for fools." Kaiba growled. "I duel alone. Depending on others is for the weak, and my future is in my own two hands! I'm not interested in having any pals to slow me down. It's time for me to accept my defeat like a man. Since there's no one else I rely on, there's no one else I can blame."

Kaiba then flung his God card at Yami and began to walk away.

"Let's go, Mokuba."

Mokuba followed Kaiba as he walked past Yami and everyone else.

Kay frowned a little. "He's in a bad mood...he needs to drop that ego a little." She mummered to herself before looking at Kristen. "Ki-Ki, stay with everyone else, okay?"

She then started to follow Kaiba to see if she could cool him down.

"Kaiba, wait!" Jounouchi called. "How about I duel you for third place? Unless you're scared of losing to me!"

Kaiba ignored Jounouchi.

Jounouchi frowned and ran in front of Kaiba, stopping him.

"You just think you're too good for the rest of us! I used to be a stubborn jerk just like you! I picked on everyone else, but inside, I felt alone! Then when I was in a tough situation, Yugi stuck up for me! I realized that looking out for other people actually makes you stronger! Yugi changed my life that day, and I've seen Yugi stick out his neck for you lots of times! But have you ever said "Thank you"? Take away your Kaiba Corp. flunkies and who do you have on your team?" Jounouchi snapped.

"Please tell me your done!" Kaiba said. "All this nonsense about friendship is starting to bore me."

"He's right! The last thing Seto needs is a lecture from you!" Mokuba jumped in at Jounouchi.

"How can you defend Kaiba after what he said?" Jounouchi asked Mokuba. "If Kaiba's happy being alone, he doesn't need you, Mokuba! He doesn't need anyone!"

Mokuba looked speechless. Kay looked surprised at his words as well.

"Kaiba's done nothing but bust his chops about his dueling skills ever since we've met him! But now it seems he's afraid of losing to me!" Jounouchi said.

"Watch it, Katsuya." Kaiba growled. "You won't like how it turns out."

"I'll take my chances." Jounouchi said.

"Dueling you would be a waste of time. I'd crush you!" Kaiba said.

"Prove it!" Jounouchi snapped.

"Fine." Kaiba said. "All the friends in the world won't save you."

* * *

**Phew! I never really cared about the Yami vs. Kaiba semi-finals duel. I have those episodes on DVD and they kinda make you facepalm. I haven't watched them in a while, but if I remember correctly, there was a lot of, "HOLD IT!" and "JUST A MINUTE!" and "STOP RIGHT THERE!" Constant trap and magic card uses. Ugh. Not that I HATED the duel, it just wasn't the most fun to watch. lol**

**But, glad that's over. :)**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See ya next chappie! :D  
**


	18. Jounouchi vs Kaiba, Marik vs Yami Marik

Outside of the Duel Tower, Jounouchi and Kaiba were about face off.

"I'll destroy you, even without my Egyptian God card." Kaiba said.

"Take your best shot!" Jounouchi snapped.

"I won't need my best shot." Kaiba said.

"Fine! Then take your worst shot, for all I care!" Jounouchi yelled.

Kay had her arms crossed over her chest and frowned at Jounouchi.

"He really doesn't know when to quit, does he?" She asked. "Sometimes that kid annoys me."

"I've never seen Jounouchi look this confident." Otogi pointed out.

Yami nodded.

"Jounouchi's come a long way to get where he is today." He said.

Cat stood aside from everyone, watching.

"Oh boy…here we go. Jounouchi vs. Kaiba." She sighed before she suddenly gasped and her eyes went blank.

"Cat…will you please take me to my sister?" Marik asked.

Without responding, Cat walked away to the ship.

Cat and Ishizu met at the foot of the steps. Ishizu was leaving the ship.

"The time is near…sister." Marik said through Cat.

"Marik." Ishizu said, realizing that her brother's good side was back. She remembered when Marik's good side first appeared to her on the ship to warn her to protect Rishid.

"I've been in Cat's mind long enough to learn the truth about our past." Marik said through Cat. "I heard what you told the others about our family. Now I know that it was my dark side that killed my father. And you came here to save me from myself. Despite everything I've done in my quest for power, you knew that there was till some good within me. But now that good is almost completely extinguished."

"If the evil Marik wins the final battle, I fear your good side might be gone forever." Ishizu said. "And the entire planet will suffer greatly."

"I can't let one duel decide the fate of the world. It's time for me to step in and reclaim my body." Marik said.

Marik-controlled Cat ran to the Duel Tower.

"Marik!" Ishizu called out.

* * *

Yami Marik stood on top of the Duel Tower.

"Just what did Kaiba and Yugi see in the Millennium Rod's vision?" He wondered. The Millennium Rod had showed Yugi and Kaiba about their pasts during their duel. But Yami Marik didn't see it.

Yami Marik looked at the Millennium Rod. "Show me the visions that you showed Kaiba and the Pharaoh!"

The Millennium Rod didn't respond to him and Yami Marik growled furiously before throwing it against the ground.

Cat, still controlled by Marik, picked it up.

"You, girl!" Yami Marik said to Cat. "Return the Millennium Rod! You're meddling with forces beyond your control!"

Yami Marik moved over to take it back, but the Rod glowed and rejected him, throwing Yami Marik back.

"What's going on? No one can use the Millennium Rod but me!" He cried in shock.

* * *

Jounouchi and Kaiba's duel was continuing.

Yami was watching the duel until his Millennium Puzzle began to glow in response to the activity of the Millennium Rod.

"Why is it glowing?" He wondered. "It can't be good."  
He picked it up and looked at it, and for a moment, he saw a brief glimpse of Cat in the Puzzle.

"Something's happened to Cat!" He exclaimed to himself. "I have to go find her now!"

"Find who?" Kristen and Kay asked at the same time.

"What's going on, Pharaoh?" Anzu asked.

"Something's happened to who?" Honda asked.

"Good luck Jounouchi!" Yami called before running off to the duel tower, not answering his friend's questions.

"Say what? Where is he goin?" Jounouchi asked.

Everyone shrugged.

* * *

Marik-controlled Cat backed Yami Marik up to the railing of the Duel Tower with the Millennium Rod.

"I see what's going on. My good half here, has taken refuge within Cat." Yami Marik said.

"It's my responsibility to stop you!" Marik said.

"You don't exist anymore. It's my body now!" Yami Marik said.

"I know. And I've returned to reclaim it from you!" Marik said.

"You're too weak and I'm the real Marik now, thanks to Rishid's accident."

"Rishid…" Marik said. While remembering Rishid distracted Marik, Yami Marik grabbed Cat's arm and threw her aside, snatching the Millennium Rod away.

Now Marik-controlled Cat was back up against the railing while Yami Marik pressed the end of the Millennium rod against Cat's chin.

"I'll send you to your death, you fool." Yami Marik threatened.

But Marik used Cat's body to leap up onto the railing in a handstand; turning and somersaulting across the tower, away from Yami Marik.

Yami Marik activated the Millennium Rod and knocked Cat/Marik down.

"You're just prolonging your demise. It's time to end our little game." Yami Marik said before he began to use the Rod to wipe out the spirit of his other self.

"STOP!"

Yami Marik stopped and looked up at the doorway, where Ishizu stood.

"Stay out of this." Yami Marik warned her. "I'll destroy you as well!"

"Begone!" Ishizu yelled. "You're not my brother!"

"It's too late for me." Marik said through Cat. "Forget about me…you must stop my evil half."

With that, Marik faded and Cat passed out.

"Prepare to die!" Yami Marik said to Ishizu. He began to activate the Rod, but was stopped again.

"Stop this, Marik!"

Yami Marik looked over and saw the glow of the Millennium Puzzle in the Duel Tower elevator.

"I've become quite popular today." Yami Marik said.

Yami walked out onto the Duel Tower.

"You've gone far enough." Yami said.

Both of their Millennium Items began to glow, and darkness began to envelop the tower, only for a moment.

The light quickly returned as Yami Marik called off his attack.

"Killing you like this would be too easy." He said. "I have something more fun in mind. Next time we meet, Pharaoh, your power will be mine."

Yami Marik then walked away, laughing.

Yami quickly ran over to Cat.

"It's okay." Ishizu said, holding Cat up. "Cat should be fine soon."

"Why did she come here in the first place?" Yami asked, kneeling down next to her.

"The good side of my brother still lives in Cat's mind. But soon he'll be gone forever! Please…Pharaoh…save my brother." Ishizu explained.

It wasn't long until Cat came to, sitting up.

"Where am I?" She asked. "And why am I here? The last thing I remember is Jounouchi dueling Kaiba."

Yami helped Cat up.

"I'm confused..." Cat admitted.

Yugi appeared next to Yami in spirit.

"Should we tell Cat that Marik took over her mind?" He asked before pausing to think. "On second thought, maybe not."

"Did Jounouchi ever finish his duel with Kaiba?" Cat asked.

"I left while they were still dueling." Yami said. "If we hurry, we should get there before it ends."

* * *

Jounouchi had lost the duel.

Mokuba cheered for his brother.

"You did okay, Jounouchi. But you're still no match for my brother!" Mokuba said to Jounouchi.

"I could have beaten you, Katsuya, blindfolded. And it was all a waste of time." Kaiba said before he began to walk away.

"Hold on! Just wait a minute!" Jounouchi shouted at Kaiba.

"Let it go. It's over." Kaiba said.

"It's not over!" Jounouchi snapped. "You may have beaten me this time, and you might beat me the next time, but I'm going to keep on coming back until I win! Jounouchi Katsuya doesn't give up!"

At this time, Cat and Yami had arrived.

"You'll never have the skills to defeat me." Kaiba said.

That did it.

Jounouchi was so angry, he was about to go after Kaiba, but Honda and Otogi held him back.

"It's not worth the effort, dude." Honda said.

Jounouchi sighed and calmed down.

"You're right. I dueled my best. And I made Kaiba sweat a couple of times." He said, pouting a little.

Everyone began to leave to the final duel.

"I can't believe you, Yug! Cat! You didn't stick around to see the end of my duel! That's not cool!" Jounouchi complained.

* * *

"Lets go, Mokuba. Kay. "Kaiba said as he watched Yami, Cat, Jounouchi and everyone else march off, Jounouchi still complaining that Yami and Cat didn't get to see the last of his duel. "There's no reason to stick around this dump anymore."

"But there's one more duel." Kay reminded him.

Ishizu then approached Kaiba.

"Kaiba…I am here to ask you to come to the final duel." She said. "The Pharaoh will need your help to defeat Marik and fulfill his destiny."

"No thanks." Kaiba said. "Battle City is over for me, and as soon as I put this behind me, the better. Now, leave me alone."

Kaiba then started to walk away.

"Walking away now is a huge mistake." Ishizu warned him.

"Let me guess." Kaiba said. "You read that in one of your ancient fairy tales."

"Your own future is at stake." Ishizu said, causing Kaiba to stop.

"I know that you're able to read the ancient text, and you know what is written on the stone." Ishizu said. "The sorcerer may have been the Pharaoh's rival, but he was also his friend. You must do this for Yugi, what the sorcerer did for the Pharaoh, three thousand years ago. Help his friend. Without you, Kaiba, Yugi can't save the world from destruction."

Kaiba was then about to leave again, without saying another word.

"If you continue to deny your ancient heritage, the entire world will suffer because of your stubbornness. Your rivalry with Yugi has been in existence for thousands of years, and will continue to exist for all eternity. As a skilled sorcerer, he constantly challenged the Pharaoh, strengthening his skills in battle." Ishizu continued. "It was with his help that the Pharaoh was able to save his people. History is now repeating itself, and Yugi needs you."

"That's enough!" Kaiba said angrily. "I hosted this tournament in order to become Number One, not help Yugi."

"You're wrong. You were destined to put on this tournament, and if you leave now, you'll be turning your back on mankind." Ishizu said.

"The Duel Tower stands as a symbol of my hatred for my father. I can't stand the sight of it." Kaiba said.

"You're running away from your father then?" Ishizu taunted. "This is about more than you and your family."

"I designed this whole tournament, and I was robbed of my victory. But I can still bury my past by destroying the Duel Tower." Kaiba said. "Mokuba, Kay, prepare for detonation."

Kay was frowning and Mokuba looked sad-eyed.

"Did you hear me?!" Kaiba asked angrily.

"Oh, we heard you." Kay said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't think destroying the tower is going to solve anything. All it will do is cause more destruction and more hatred." Mokuba said.

"You don't have to let Yugi and everyone else be involved in your anger and hatred!" Kay exclaimed.

Kaiba looked shocked at their reactions.

"I hated Yugi and the others at first too…but they fought for us on Pegasus's Island and rescued me from the Ghouls." Mokuba said. "They treated me as their friend." Mokuba was getting tears in his eyes. "Yugi was right…you are filled with hate. Remember what Yugi told you recently? That you were dueling for all the wrong reasons? He said you'd never succeed until you had defeated the monsters inside your heart."

"Yes. And remember when Jounouchi told you that you guys were fighting a great duel? So why didn't you relax and have fun?" Kay reminded him. "I know Jounouchi can be a complete idiot, but his heart's in the right place."

"Why do you never smile anymore?" Mokuba asked. "Our childhood wasn't the best, but we had fun sometimes. I want it back to the way it was!"

"Those days are over." Kaiba said.

"They don't have to be!" Mokuba cried. "You can change! Instead of causing more damage, why won't you help Yugi win and prevent more damage? If you know the secret to defeating Marik, you should tell Yugi!"

Kaiba looked up at the Duel Tower and stared at it.

How could he help Yugi? The reason he organized the Battle City tournament was to defeat Yugi!

* * *

"I still can't believe that you two walked out on me when I needed you guys!" Jounouchi continued to rant.

"It's not what you think, Jounouchi." Yami said.

"We're sorry." Cat said with a sheepish smile. "Something weird happened."

"It's okay, Jounouchi got his butt kicked, nothing new. They only thing you guys missed was watching Kaiba make him squirm." Honda said with a grin.

Jounouchi began to steam.

"Easy up on Jounouchi." Otogi said. "He did a pretty good job."

"That's right. I haven't seen many duels, but Jounouchi did great." Kristen added in.

"Kaiba just did a much better job!" Anzu added in. "He'll get him the next time or the time after that."

"Drop it and concentrate on Yugi!" Jounouchi snapped. "He's about to fight the duel of his life against that evil creep, Marik!"

Yami turned to look at the Duel Tower. It was his turn to go on the field to face Marik.

Cat looked up with him. "So this is it, huh?" She asked.

Yami nodded.

"Heh, I wish Luna could see you now." Cat said with a smile. "I'd bet she'd love nothing more than to be with you; to watch her lov-"

Cat soon realized what she was saying and slapped a hand over her mouth.

Yami looked at her curiously.

"What?" He asked.

Cat held up her hands.  
"Ah…ah…um…I-It's nothing really!" She said, panicking slightly, with a fake smile.

She was supposed to wait until after the tournament to tell him!

"No, go on with what you were saying." Yami insisted.  
Cat began to sweat profusely.

"Ah…well…um…I…uh…" She was desperately trying to think up what to say next.

Yami raised an eyebrow.

"Cat, are you hiding something from me?" He asked.

"Well…I…uh, W-we don't want to be late for your duel!" Cat said suddenly with her fake smile and laugh. "We can't have that, can we? L-let's go!"

Cat quickly marched off to the tower.

Yami watched her go, looking confused.

Yugi appeared next to Yami in spirit.

"Cat's acting a little strange." Yami mummered.

"That's because Cat just said something about Luna. You know, her ancestor." Yugi said.

"I didn't catch that part." Yami mentioned.

"Cat doesn't realize that you know about her connection to her past. She still thinks that we're keeping that secret safe until the end of the tournament." Yugi answered.

"I see." Yami said.

"Oh well. We can tell her about it later." Yugi said.

"Right."

* * *

**Yup! It's a double chapter day! :)**

**Yeah, well...the two chapters didn't take long to get done, so I thought I would post two today. It probably won't happen often though. Especially when Battle City is over. Which it almost is!**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! See ya next chappie! :D  
**


	19. A Sunset Ending Battle City

The final battle between Yami and Yami Marik was long and practically tedious. Not to mention, both the lives of Yugi and the good side of Marik were on the line.

But Yami was able to be victorious in the end with the help of the good Marik.

And with the end of the duel, Yami Marik disappeared. Never to return.

"Pharaoh, I am sorry. It was my duty to help you, but instead, I turned my back on you. I can't change the past, but I can start over. I'm proud to be a Tomb-Keeper, and I'm proud of my sister and my brother." Marik said after he was finally able to take over his body once again.

"Thank you, Marik." Rishid said, who was back to normal and came to watch the duel.

"My family has waited three thousand years for the Pharaoh's return, and now I must fulfill my destiny, by helping the Pharaoh fulfill his. But first, the Pharaoh must have all three Egyptian God cards. I will honor the Ishtar name by surrendering the duel." Marik said, laying his hand on his deck.

"Thank you Pharaoh..." Ishizu said with a smile.

"It was all of us. I wouldn't have been victorious without everyone's help." Yami said.

"Battle City is officially over! And the winner is, Yugi Motou!" Roland announced.

Everyone cheered loudly before climbing up onto the dueling platform.

"That was amazing the way every monster in your deck showed up, Yug!" Jounouchi said before giving him a high-five.

"Ishizu, I'm sorry." Marik apologized to Ishizu.

"All that matters is that you're safe and has returned to the way you were." Ishizu said. "You've fulfilled your destiny and ended the mission of the Tomb-Keepers."

"Can all three of us start over and build a new life for ourselves?" Marik asked.

Ishizu nodded.

"Yes. It's time for our family to start living in the light with the rest of mankind." She said.

Rishid looked overcome by the thought.

"I'm glad you're back, Marik." Ishizu said.

Kaiba then stepped onto the duel platform.

"As the organizer of the Battle City Tournament, I guess I should congratulate the winner. Even though you only won the duel due to Marik's forfeit." He said.

Yami smiled.

"If you hadn't given me the card I needed, I would have lost the match right away." He said.

"Yugi! Remember the ante rule? You can now take Marik's rarest card. "Mokuba reminded him.

"Marik, the Pharaoh is going to need that God card soon." Ishizu said.

Marik walked over to Yami.

"Everyone banished to the shadows by my dark side will return." He said. Everyone smiled happily.

"Thank you." Yami said.

Marik then handed Yami the God card, the Winged Dragon of Ra.

Yugi appeared next to Yami in spirit.

"Now we have all three Egyptian God cards. But now that we have them, what are we supposed to do with them?" Yugi wondered.

"I have one more task to perform before my Tomb-Keeper's mission is complete." Marik said before taking off his shirt to show Yami the scars carved onto his back. "This is the secret to the Pharaoh's power. These markings were passed down through my family for three thousand years."

"We were taught that when the Pharaoh saved the world from destruction, he wiped his own memory clean. But he knew that someday, he would need his memory back, so he entrusted one family with the secret of unlocking his mind and his power." Ishizu explained. "Now that you have all three Egyptian God cards and the Millennium Puzzle, all you need to do is read the words on Marik's back."

"Can you read the words on Marik's back?" Cat asked.

"I'll try." Yami said before staring at the carvings on Marik's back, hard. "I don't know the ancient language, but something has come to me through the three Egyptian God cards."  
He remembered the stone tablet Ishizu showed him and realized that the Pharaoh's secret is sealed in stone.

"My mission is complete." Marik said before putting his shirt back on and handing the Millennium Rod and Ring to Yami.

"The victory celebration has gone on long enough. The Battle City Tournament is over, and if you'd like a free ride home, you'd better board the aircraft right now." Kaiba said. "If anyone's left on the island, Kaiba Corp. won't be responsible for their safety. In one hour this island will explode."

Jounouchi and Honda began to freak out.

"SAY WHAT?!" They cried.

"The Duel Tower will self-destruct in one hour, so get on the ship and go home." Kaiba said.

"But the ship's engines aren't working!" Anzu protested.

"It's all right. They've been repaired." Mokuba said.

Roland looked nervous.

"Actually…no…" He disagreed quietly.

"Goodbye." Kaiba said and walked away, Mokuba following him.

"Seto! HEY!" Kay cried, chasing after him. "What do you mean by, "The Duel Tower will self-destruct"?! You're not seriously going to blow up the tower are you?!"

She continued following him, trying to get an answer out of him.

"Can you believe that sore loser?" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"Yeah! Kaiba loses the tournament, so he decides to trash the place!" Honda agreed.

* * *

Kaiba, Kay and Mokuba entered the control room in the tower.

"Activate the detonators." Kaiba said to Mokuba.

Mokuba did so and entered the commands at the consoles.

"Is one hour enough time?" Kay asked, giving up on trying to get Kaiba to answer her.

"If the ship leaves now." Kaiba said.

"Yeah…everyone should be a safe distance away." Mokuba agreed.

* * *

Everyone ran to the ship and Jounouchi ran to Mai's room, where Mai was still lying motionless in bed.

Shizuka was still by her side.

"Mai's not up." She said.

Everyone gathered around.

"Mai…please wake up." Jounouchi pleaded. "Yugi won the duel, so she's supposed to be all right!"

Jounouchi threw himself across her bed.

"I'd give anything to have her back!" He said.

Shizuka covered her face and began to sob.

But then suddenly, Mai opened one eye and grinned.

Shizuka's sobs were really laughter.

Everyone gasped in shock as Mai giggled. Jounouchi looked at her.

She pointed at Jounouchi, laughing. His face held a mix of emotions. Shock, Confusion and Speechlessness.

"That expression is priceless." She said and started to rumple Jounouchi. "Did Jounouchi say he'd give anything to have me wake up? Good job on playing your part, Shizuka."

Shizuka giggled.

"Oh, I just couldn't resist." She said.

"I knew that they were kidding all along." Anzu said, pretending she knew.

"That wasn't cool..." Otogi said.

"It was all in good fun." Mai said with a smile, rubbing Jounouchi's head. He was still shocked and dumbfounded. "By the way, congratulations on your victory Yugi!"

"Thank you." Yami said. "Let's go."

Everyone headed out into the hallway and they found Bakura in the kitchen, sitting on the floor surrounded by food, eating.

"'Ey! Bakura! What are you doin', raiding the refrigerator?" Jounouchi asked.

"I was hungry! Nothing to eat while you're passed out!" Bakura replied with a smile.

Everyone then went to the bridge.

"Hey? Where's Kaiba, Kay and Mokuba?" Cat asked. "They haven't boarded yet."

"This ship isn't going anywhere without them!" Roland insisted.

"Wait a minute! This island is going to blow up soon!" Honda reminded Roland.

"Kaiba's not that dumb. I'm sure he's hopping aboard his private jet right now." Jounouchi said.

"We can't take that chance." Roland said.

"That's right. We probably should go look for them." Honda said.

"Don't leave without us!" Jounouchi said to Roland before they started to head out.

But back where the pilots were, they were trying to start the engine.

"The engine isn't working! Now what?" The pilot asked.

* * *

Everyone stood before the Duel Tower.

"Why would Kaiba program it to explode and then disappear?" Cat asked.

"I think Kaiba knew the ship's engines were out, so he made his own way off the island!" Jounouchi snapped.

"Kaiba couldn't have gone far. We'll have to track him down." Yami said.

Everyone split up to look for him.

* * *

Kaiba, Kay and Mokuba were still in the control room.

They were watching the Duel Tower on view screens as the red alert sounded.

"Soon, this place where Yugi disgraced me by steal the Battle City crown, will soon be destroyed." Kaiba said. "The only way I can move forward is by destroying the past. Including the site where Yugi robbed me of my victory. All this nonsense will soon be behind me."

"All systems are set." Mokuba said to Kaiba. "Hopefully everyone is already off the island."

With that, the three turned and walked away.

* * *

Back on the ship, the pilot was still trying to work the controls, trying to get the engine started, while Mai, Bakura, Otogi, Kristen and Shizuka watched. But nothing was happening.

* * *

There was only thirteen minutes left in the countdown.

Jounouchi grabbed Roland.

"You must know how to stop the countdown!" He insisted.

"Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba are the only ones who can stop it!" Roland said.

"With Kaiba missing and the ship not working, we'll never escape the explosion." Yugi worried as he appeared next to Yami in spirit.

"Have faith." Yami said.

"Jounouchi, chill out!" Honda said.

"How can I stay calm!? The island's about to blow sky-high, and we have no way to escape!" Jounouchi cried.

"Maybe the ship's engines have been fixed." Anzu suggested.

But just then, Kristen and Otogi ran out of the ship.

"Bad news guys!" Otogi said.

"The engines aren't working!" Kristen cried.

"We need more time! They're only twelve minutes left!" Yami said.

Jounouchi quickly turned and ran to the ship. "I'll take a shot at it!" He said.

"Since when could you fix an engine?" Anzu asked.

Jounouchi kept on running towards the ship.

"How hard can it be?" He asked before suddenly stopping and running back to everyone. "Wait a minute! The helicopter that was to take me to the hospital is still sitting beside the ship! We can escape on it!"

* * *

Inside the ship, after hearing the news, Mai and Shizuka ran to Marik, Ishizu and Rishid.

"We're going to abandon ship!" Mai said.

"The engines aren't working, so we're taking the helicopter instead!" Shizuka said.

* * *

"If you hadn't passed out, Jounouchi, the helicopter wouldn't have been sent, and we'd have been stuck on the island!" Cat exclaimed.

Time was running out and they had no choice but to leave Kaiba, Kay and Mokuba behind.

Everyone boarded the helicopter and it lifted off, with only 30 seconds left in the countdown.

Everyone watched the ground around the tower break up after the Tower exploded.

"I hope Kaiba, Kay and Mokuba got out safely." Cat said.

"I wonder if Kaiba just wanted to go down with his island?" Jounouchi wondered.

Then all of the sudden, from the smoke, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon rose. It was a jet plane, with Kaiba laughing at the controls.

"Surprise, Surprise!" Mokuba said to everyone in the helicopter through a radio.

Jounouchi freaked out and everyone was boggle eyed.

"They're on the helicopter." Kay pointed out.

"Oops." Kaiba said. "I guess the other ship wasn't fixed yet.

Furious, Jounouchi grabbed the radio and yelled at Kaiba.

"How could you possibly think it's funny that we were almost killed?!" Jounouchi snapped.

Kaiba only smiled.

"We aren't going back with you guys. We have important Kaiba Corp. business to take care of." Mokuba said to them.

"What are you planning?" Jounouchi asked.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Kaiba said. "Don't worry you geeks. You haven't seen the last of me. Especially you, Yugi." Kaiba gave Yami a small smile.

"Hey! Ki-Ki! You'll be fine without me for a little while, right? I'll be back soon!" Kay said through the radio. "And don't worry! I'm sure a certain someone will be occupying your mind so much, you'll hardly miss me!"

Kristen say Kay wink through the jet's window and Kristen blushed, frowning.  
"Sh-Shut up!" She snapped.

Kay only laughed.

Kaiba flashed everyone a brief salute.

"Hold on, Kay, Mokuba." Kaiba said as he made the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet fly off.

Yugi appeared next to Yami in spirit.

"I hope Kaiba can put his anger aside and move on." He said.

Yami nodded.

"It's time for our next journey! To discover the Pharaoh's memories." Yugi said.

* * *

The helicopter finally arrived back in Domino at the pier. It was sunset and everyone was already piled out of the helicopter.

"Pharaoh, thank you again for saving Marik from the evil that once consumed him." Ishizu said to Yami.

"Thank you, Pharaoh." Marik said.

"It's time for you to uncover the mysteries that surround your past." Ishizu said to Yami.

"I hope that in spite of all I've done, we can be friends." Marik said to Yami.

"Of course." Yami said with a smile.

Ishizu smiled.

Everyone then called their farewells to Ishizu, Marik and Rishid as they took their leave on Marik's ship.

"Who knew there was a nice guy inside that evil, psychotic nutcase!" Jounouchi said.

"You have a way with words, Jounouchi." Mai said.

"Well, it's time for me to say goodbye." Otogi said. "I can't stay in one spot for to long, but I'll be back. Goodbye everyone. Goodbye Shizuka."

In passing, Otogi slipped a piece of paper to Shizuka.

Shizuka looked at it and Honda quickly snatched it away.

It was Otogi's phone number.

"WHAT?! Otogi!" Honda snapped, throwing a fit.

Otogi only laughed as he jogged away.

"Everyone's going their own way." Jounouchi said.

"Yeah. I too, should have some sort of plan." Honda says.

"There's still plenty of time to figure it out." Anzu said.

"You'll find out eventually." Shizuka said to Honda.

"You're right, Shizuka!" Honda said, passing his own phone number to her.

Jounouchi saw that and began to yell at Honda.

Shizuka giggled and hid behind Anzu.

It wasn't long until Jounouchi and Honda were laughing together.

"Well, I guess it's my turn to say goodbye." Mai said. "Battle City is over and it's time for me to move on."

"Mai, please don't go. You're like a sister to me." Shizuka said.

"Thank you for taking care of me while I was under Marik's spell, Shizuka." Mai said before turning to Yami. "I'll meet you in the next tournament."

Mai and Jounouchi looked at each other for a moment, but didn't say anything.

And with that, Mai headed off.

Anzu poked Jounouchi.

"Don't be such a dork." She said. "Do something right for a change."

Getting the idea, Jounouchi ran over to Mai and caught her as she was getting to drive off.

"Jounouchi, you don't have to say anything mushy." Mai said. "My favorite thing about the whole tournament was that I got to know you."

"Thanks, Mai." Jounouchi said.

"But I'm still planning to kick your butt in the next tournament." Mai said with a grin. "Bye now."

Mai then drove away, thinking to herself that when they first met, he was an okay duelist with a big mouth. Now he's a great duelist with a big mouth and a big heart, too. They may have been taking separate roads right now, but she was sure that their paths would cross again.

* * *

**Annnndddd...BATTLE CITY IS FINALLY OVER! Hopefully that means I can finally start writing more original stuff. The parts I wanted to re-write the most was the arcs that happened after Battle City and Cat's introduction to the story. So now I can get to work the stuff I wanted to re-write.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See ya next chappie! :D  
**


	20. A Day of Peace

Even though it was sunny, the day was very windy.

It was the day after the tournament. The day was warm but the wind was cool.

Soft light filtered through Cat's curtains as she slept. It was almost noon and she was still fast asleep!

The tournament and all the excitement that came with it, made her very tired.

Cat rolled onto her stomach in her sleep and laid there for a while, until her phone suddenly went off, waking her up.

Slowly, sitting up on her elbows, she rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"I'm...still tried." She sighed to herself and grabbed her phone that was next to her bed. She had bought herself a table and phone to go next to her bed. It was convenient on days like these.

She answered the phone.

"Hello?" She asked. Her voice didn't hide the fact that she sounded half-asleep.

"Hello. Um...I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Cat's eyes widened a little at the voice on the other end of the phone. She sat up in her bed, her legs curled beneath her.

Before answering the question, she glanced at her clock. She winced. Yikes...half an hour until noon.

"Yes, but that's probably a good thing. I guess I slept in." She replied.

The voice chuckled.  
"I understand. You needed the rest. Especially after Battle City."

Cat smiled a little.  
"I guess." She agreed. "So...this is a little unusual. I'd never think you would call me, Pharaoh."

"I called to see how you were doing." Yami said. "I could tell that Battle City was a little bit of a strain for you. You've never been through something like that before, right? Most of us here have already experienced the power of the Millennium Items."

"That's true. I haven't." Cat agreed. "I'm doing fine, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one."

"Indeed, you weren't. Shizuka seems to be doing fine, although she's going to be returning home soon. Yugi was a little worried about Kristen since she was with Kay all the time and Kay left with Kaiba. Especially since Kristen just came from America. So we're going to see if we can get ahold of her as well."

"That's very nice of you guys. I'm sure Kristen will appriciate it." Cat said with a smile before pausing. "Well, thanks for waking me up."

Yami chuckled again. "No problem. Oh...and by the way Cat. I already know about your connection."

There was a short pause on Cat's side.

"Y-You...huh?! When did you learn about it?" She asked, surprised.

"I...sort of made Yugi tell me before Battle City was finished." Yami admitted.

"You wanted to know that badly, huh?"

"Yes, I suppose I did. Anyways, I'd better go."

"Okay. Thanks for checking up on me and making sure I wasn't traumatized or anything."

Yami laughed.  
"Of course." He said. "By the way. There was something else I called to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to continue the Duel Monster lessons I was giving you before the finals."

"OH! I-If it's okay with you, I'd love to continue them! There's still much I have to learn."

"Heh, It's good to hear. If you're free, we can do more lessons tomorrow, here at the game shop."

"Sure! That would be great! Although...I'm not sure I know the way to your house from here."

"Tomorrow, Yugi and his grandfather will be out for a little while. But Jounouchi was supposed to come over as well. I'm sure he'd be willing to pick you up and take you here with him. It would be around 11:30am."

"That sounds good to me."

"All right. I'll let him know. Anyways, I should probably go for now. I'll see you tomorrow, Cat."

"Right. See you then. Bye."

Cat hung up the phone and returned it to it's original spot. She sighed, petting down some of her bed hair.

"Well...I guess I'll go to the store and pick up some things today." She mummered to herself before jumping out of her bed to get ready for the day.

* * *

Not long after it hit 12:00pm, the doorbell rang.

It was the next day and Jounouchi was late.

Cat walked up to her door and opened it to find Jounouchi's grinning face.  
"Hey Cat! Sorry I'm late. How are ya?"

"I'm good. How are you?" Cat asked, returning the smile.

"I'm great! And ready to head off to the game shop! Are you ready?" Jounouchi asked.

Cat nodded, stepping out and shutting the door behind her, locking it.

It wasn't long until Cat and Jounouchi were out on the streets, heading towards the game shop.

Jounouchi had his hands in his pockets as he glanced at Cat.  
"It's kinda nice not having to worry about Battle City or the Rare Hunters, isn't it?"

Cat nodded. "It's very nice." She agreed. "And it's nice to know that Marik's dark side is gone forever and is replaced by his good side."

"You're right." He agreed and paused for a moment. "So, Yugi us about your connection to the Pharaoh's past."

Cat glanced up at the taller blond.

"He did?" She asked.

Jounouchi nodded.

"So...the Pharaoh was in love with your ancestor...does that mean you're his long lost love or somethin'?" He asked.

Cat stopped walking, looking speechless at his comment. Jounouchi stopped and looked back at Cat. A grin appeared on his face.

"I'm right, aren't I?" He asked, grinning slyly.

Cat blushed a little at his embarrassing comment.  
"N-No! You're not." She replied, walking again. "Like I've said before, whatever happened between the Pharaoh and my ancestor 3,000 years ago, has nothing to do with me. I'm not Luna, so I'm not the Pharaoh's, "Long lost love" or anything like that. He's just a friend."

Jounouchi shrugged and continued to walk with Cat. "Whatever you say." He said.

There was another moment of silence between the two.

"So, when is Shizuka returning home?" Cat asked.

"Tomorrow." Jounouchi replied. "I'm kind of sad that she has to go so soon though. Being able to hang out with her at Battle City reminded me how much I miss hanging out with her like when we were little kids."

"I'm...sorry, Jounouchi." Cat said not sure how to relate. Cat was an only child, so she didn't understand sibling relationships very well.

"Nah, it's okay." He said. "Besides, I'll see her again."

Cat smiled. "I know you will. From what I could see, Shizuka loves you very much. I doubt she would miss the opportunity to see you again." She said.

Jounouchi grinned.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Just like how I wouldn't miss the chance to see my sis again either."

Another paused between the two.

"Y'know Cat. You've changed a little. Before we really knew you, you were a very shy person who hardly talked and tried to avoid people's gazes." Jounouchi pointed out. "Somewhere in Battle City, you suddenly started to become more outgoing."

"Ah...well...I get that way when I don't have any friends. Not being able to make friends because of me being shy, was one of my fears when I was moving here." Cat explained. "When I became friends with you guys, I was able to relax more."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." Jounouchi said, thinking about it a little.

"So...I guess I have to thank you guys." Cat said with a smile. "If it wasn't for you all...I'd probably still be alone right now."

Jounouchi grinned.

"Hey, no need to thank us! We're glad to have you as our friend, Cat." He said.

Cat smiled happily at him.

Before either one of them could say anything else, they almost ran into someone!  
"O-Oh! I-I'm so s-sorry! I-I wasn't watching wh-where I was g-going!"

Cat and Jounouchi looked at the person in front of them, surprised.

It was Kristen!

"Kristen! What are you doing here?" Cat asked.

Kristen's eyes widened when she recognized the two. "C-Cat! Jounouchi! I'm so glad I ran into you guys!" She said, looking relieved. "Do you think you guys could help me out with something?"

"Sure! What's up?" Jounouchi asked.

"W-Well...since I'm still new to Domino City...I...kinda got lost. And since Kay left with Kaiba and Mokuba somewhere, I don't really have a guide." Kristen explained.

"That's right...Kay's not in the city at the moment. I wonder where she went after Battle City?" Cat wondered, crossing her arms and looking up in thought. "I guess we'll find out sooner or later. We'll help you out Kristen."

"Yeah! Just tell us where you need to go!" Jounouchi said, sticking out his chest, trying to look cool. Cat and Kristen sweatdropped, looking at Jounouchi's attempt at looking "cool".

"Th-Thanks guys. I really appriciate it." Kristen said, smiling a small smile.

"So, where are you headed to?" Cat asked.

"Well...I was bored, just sitting around Kay's apartment all day. Obviously, I'm staying with Kay while I'm visit. I may move here." Kristen explained. "So I decided to go out shopping. You know, explore the area. And after a while, I realized that I had no idea where I was."

"That's okay. It took me a while to figure the city out too." Cat said.

Kristen pulled out a piece of paper.  
"Yeah." She said and handed the paper to Cat.

Cat looked at it.

"This is your address?" She asked. Kristen nodded once.

"Oh hey!" Jounouchi exclaimed, looming over Cat's shoulder to look at the paper. "I know where that is!"

"Good...because I'm not really sure where it is." Cat said.

Jounouchi grinned.

"No worries! I'll take you there now!"

Kristen smiled.

"Thank you very much, guys." She said.

* * *

"And here we are!" Jounouchi said as the three stood in front of a large, white apartment building.

"Thank you again guys." Kristen said.

"No problem! Always happy to help out a friend." Jounouchi said.

"By the way, Kristen. You wouldn't happen to know the time, would you?" Cat asked.

Kristen looked at her watch.

"Um...it's about 12:30pm." She said.

"Oh dear. We're going to be an hour late." Cat said with a weak smile.

"Oh! Was I keeping you guys from something?" Kristen asked.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Its okay that we're a little late." Jounouchi said.

Kristen looked a little uncertain.

"Even so...I'm very sorry." She said.

"Don't be. I doubt we'll get in trouble or anything like that." Cat said.

Kristen smiled a little. "That's good. Anyways, thanks again. I'll see you two later, okay? Bye." She waved.

Cat and Jounouchi said their goodbyes as well as Kristen turned and walked into the apartment building.

"We'd better hurry back." Cat said once Kristen was out of sight.

* * *

"Oh-ho! Welcome you two!"

Solomon Motou, Yugi's grandfather, was at the game shop's counter as usual, when he wasn't sweeping the front of the store.

"Hey gramps! Where's Yug? We're kinda late so..." Jounouchi greeted with a weak smile.

"He should be in the house, waiting for you two. Go right ahead." Solomon said with a smiled.

"Thank you." Cat said as the two walked into the house.

After removing their shoes at the front, the two friends walked into the living room.

Jounouchi looked around.

"Huh. He's usually in here." He said, putting his hands on his hips. "He's probably in his room."

"There you are."

Jounouchi and Cat turned around to find Yami standing behind them.

"Whoa! Don't scare me like that, Yug!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"Sorry." Yami chuckled. "You guys are late. I was getting worried."

"Well...I came to Cat's house thirty minutes late. So...that didn't help." Jounouchi admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"And while we were on our way here, we ran into Kristen. She was lost, so we helped her out." Cat explained the rest.

Yami smiled.

"I see. It's fine. I'm just glad nothing bad happened, like I was starting to suspect." He said. "Shall we get started?"

Cat nodded eagerly.

"Yes!"

* * *

**Hmm...a little break in between arcs. Yup. :D**

**Sorry it was so short. But even so, I hope you enjoyed it!  
See ya next chappie! :D  
**


	21. Unexpected and Unwanted Turn of Events

She couldn't quite explain it.

Battle City was over and peaceful times had returned.

So then...why?

Cat had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as she leaned against the wall on the roof of their school.

"Calm before the storm, they say." She muttered to herself.

Yugi, Kristen, Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu were on the roof with her as well.

School hadn't started yet.

"I can't help but agree with ya, Cat." Jounouchi said. "With us, it always seems like once things get calm again, somethin' else has ta pop out of nowhere!"

Yugi was sitting against the fence, holding his Millennium Puzzle.

"I dunno guys. Now that we have the three Egyptian God cards, the Pharaoh can regain his memories." He said.

"Oh yeah!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"That's right! He can get his memories back!" Honda said.

Kristen smiled. They had explained everything to her as well.

Only Cat and Anzu remained silent.

Cat put on a small smile though.

"That's true. I'm happy he'll finally be able to reach his goal." She said.

Before anyone could say anything else, the bell rang.

"Oh! We'd better head to class!" Honda said.

"Yeah."  
Everyone agreed and left the rooftop.

* * *

The hallways were silent except for the quiet pitter-patter of Cat's shoes.

Before class had started, a teacher had asked Cat if she could do a favor for them.

Cat agreed to do so and was currently returning to her classroom. The errand that the teacher had asked Cat to do took up most of the class time, unfortunately.

Turning a corner, Cat suddenly stopped.

About ten feet in front of her, was Yami. He hadn't noticed her though.

Cat looked dumbfounded.

"_Why is the Pharaoh here? He doesn't usually show up at school, does he? And...why isn't he in class?_" She thought to herself.

While she was wondering if she should go approach him or not, he suddenly started walking away.

Cat took a step forward and reached out to him, intending to stop him, but she stopped. Perhaps he was heading back to the classroom?  
She watched him for a moment more, expecting him to turn into the left corner. But he turned right! Away from their classroom!

"What is he doing?" She whispered to herself and quietly followed him.

Following him as quietly as she could, she followed him around the school.

Until she found herself at the main doors. Cat looked shocked.

"N-No way! He's skipping?!" She asked herself and rushed out the main doors after him.

Indeed, Yami was heading for the main gates of the school.

Cat shifted her eyes around anxiously, wondering if she should stop him herself, or go and tell their friends.

She clentched her fists and ran as fast as she could towards Yami.

Once she caught up to him, she grabbed the back of his jacket.  
"W-Wait!" She cried.

Yami stopped and looked over his shoulder at Cat, who was still holding onto his jacket.

"Cat? What are you doing here?" He asked.

Cat looked up at him. "Where are you going?" She asked.

Yami smiled lightly.

"I'm going to the museum." He replied.

"Huh? Wh-Why are you going there? In the middle of school and without telling anyone, no less?" Cat asked.

"I now have the keys that will allow me to regain my lost memories as Pharaoh. And I'm feeling impatient about learning them." Yami replied. "I...didn't want to disturb anyone else. And besides...I don't know if me, regaining my lost memories, will mean that I have to leave everyone forever. I'm sorry."

"I see." Cat mummered, letting go of his jacket. "But...I'm sure everyone would want to say goodbye and good luck to you before you go."

Yami smiled a little sadly. "It would be too sad to say goodbye to them. I only wanted Yugi to see me off because...it would just be too sad. Maybe you should head back, alright?" He said before turning around and walking back towards the gates. "Goodbye Cat."

Cat watched him leave, a sad look on her face.

"It shouldn't be that way." She mummered as she turned and ran back towards the school. As she did this, the bell, excusing classes for a few minutes, rang.

* * *

On the roof, Anzu stood there, looking through the fence that prevented students from falling off.

It wasn't long until Jounouchi, Kristen and Honda came to join her.

"Hey Anzu...where's Yug?" Jounouchi asked.

Anzu shook her head. "I don't know. He left before class. He told me he had to go somewhere." She replied.

Honda thought for a moment.  
"Well, that's odd...that's unlike him." He stated.

Jounouchi nodded.

"Where do you suppose he could have gone?" Kristen asked her new friends.

Before anyone could answer, Cat suddenly ran through the door to the roof, approaching her friends.

Everyone looked at her.  
"Cat! There you are! Do you know where Yugi is?" Honda asked.

Cat tried to catch her breath from running the whole way.  
"Y-Yeah! He said he was going to the museum."

"What?! And he didn't tell us?!" Jounouchi asked, annoyed.

"He has his reasons." Cat mummered.

"We should go and follow him, guys." Anzu said.

Everyone nodded and left the rooftop.

* * *

The area around the museum seemed rather silent.

Yami stood at the bottom of the steps, staring at the museum. He was about to regain his memories.

He was about to take a step, until he heard his name.

"YUGI!"

He turned around to find Jounouchi, Cat, Honda, Kristen and Anzu running up to him.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, looking a little stunned.

"We were worried about you, man!" Honda exclaimed.

"Yeah! Why didja just split like that?" Jounouchi asked.

Yami looked to the side.

"I have something I need to do...and I may end up not coming back. Saying goodbye would be too sad." He said.

"Hey! We're a team, remember?" Anzu pointed out.

"Even though goodbyes can be very sad, it's even sadder when you lose the chance to say them. You regret not being able to." Cat said.

"That's right." Kristen agreed.

Yami smiled at the five. "Thank you." He said.

"Let's go!" Jounouchi cried.

* * *

Everyone stood in front of the tablet of memories, amazed. Except for Yami and Anzu. They had already seen the tablets before.

But this was the first time that the other four had seen them.

"Whoa! Yug! That guy looks just like you!" Jounouchi exclaimed, with a freaked out look on his face.

Yami nodded. "Yes. I was shocked too when I saw this tablet. But Ishizu came and explained to me that I was the Pharaoh who locked away the shadow games 3,000 years ago." He said.

Cat stared at the tablet.  
"_So...this is the tablet where Yami discovered he was a Pharaoh? Huh...and if I didn't know any better, that other guy looks just like Kaiba. Ugh...this is getting stranger and stranger._" She thought to herself. "_Does Kaiba have some sort of connection as well?_"

She snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed Yami approaching the ancient tablet.

They all watched as Yami held the Egyptian God cards up to the tablet. Suddenly, the eye of Horus on the tablet, started to glow a bright, white light.

A laugh could be heard. No one knew where the unknown voice was coming from.

Suddenly, the ancient tablet was frozen within ice and the God cards in Yami's hand started to crackle with dark energy!

Yami grabbed his arm and kneeled down in pain.

"Yugi!" Everyone cried.

"Yugi! Let go of the cards!" Honda cried.

"I-I can't!" Yami said through his pain.

Cat kneeled next to him and tried to remove the cards from his hand. But when she reached out to grab them, the dark energy hurt Cat's hand.

After a moment, the dark energy had stopped flowing.

"Yug! Are you all right?" Jounouchi asked.

"Yes...I'm fine." Yami said, sighing. He glanced over at Cat. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." Cat said, looking at her hand.

Suddenly, they all heard a scream from outside of the museum!

Running to the outside to investigate, they froze at what they saw next.

Duel Monsters all over the place flew all around while people screamed, ran and cowered in fear.

"Whoa! Someone's Duel Disk must have gone haywire!" Honda exclaimed.

"It would take more than one busted Duel Disk to create all these monsters!" Kristen pointed out.

"I say we go straight to the only person I can think of that would know what did this! As much as I hate ta say it...let's go find Kaiba!" Jounouchi said with determination.

"W-Wait! Isn't he still gone?" Cat asked.

"That's right...Kay hasn't returned yet." Kristen said.

"It couldn't hurt to try anyways! Let's go!" Honda said.

Cat and Kristen looked hesitantly at each other before nodding.

* * *

Once the group of friends had reached Kaiba Corp., the entry way was clogged with news reporters and such.

One of Kaiba's employees was speaking for him.

"We assure you, that we are not responsible for what has happened! Mr. Kaiba is away in America doing business! But he will be holding a press conference in the U.S soon!" The man announced.

"Well...according to that man, I don't think we'll be able to get in." Kristan said.

"Yeah, but it's not like we would be able to get through this mess either!" Honda pointed out.

"Let's head back and see if anything is on the news about this." Anzu said.

Everyone nodded and headed off again.

* * *

At the Game shop, everyone sat in Yugi's living room, watching the news. Solomon Motou carefully dusted the God cards while they did so.

Through the news, they had discovered that monsters were appearing all over the world! But before the group of friends could discover anything else, the news quickly cut to Kaiba's press conference, live from the U.S.

Kaiba stood before microphones and began to speak.

"After testing our Duel Disk systems, we have discovered that the monster appearances have nothing to do with Kaiba Corp. Our technology is working perfectly." He said.

"I'll bet you Kaiba is just trying to cover up to keep his reputation! Who else can create holograms such as those?!" Jounouchi cried.

"Hold on. This may sound crazy...but what if they aren't holograms?" Cat suggested.

Kristen nodded.  
"Yeah...what if they have something to do with the stone tablet we saw earlier. I'm no expert, but I'm sure neither glass nor stone freezes like that." She said.

"And I'm sure cards don't start to crackle with dark lightening." Anzu pointed out.

"You're right. I wonder if that drk force I felt in the museum has anything to do with this?" Yami suggested.

Jounouchi opened his mouth to say something, but it was cut off by a crash!

"YUGI!"

It was Solomon!

The six friends ran out of the room to find Solomon on the floor of the shop and the shop glass broken. Plus the God cards were gone! Yami turned back into Yugi.

Anzu and Kristen helped Solomon up while Jounouchi glared.

"Whoever took the God cards, I'll stop them!" He cried and ran out the door. He didn't go far, for he suddenly screeched to a halt and cried out in surprise.

Everyone else joined him when they heard the cry.

Above them was Obelisk, Slifer and Ra! The three Egyptian God cards!

"WHOA! Who would steal da God cards and summon them in the middle of the city for all to see?!" Jounouchi cried out.

"I don't think they were stolen. Nor do I think someone summoned them with their Duel Disk! From what I know, only a person with a connection with the Millennium Items can summon a God card!" Yugi piped in.

All of the sudden, they were all blinded by a bright light, coming from three motorcycles with three figures on them.

Yugi glared at the three.

"Give me my God cards back!" He shouted, figuring they were the ones who stole them.

The three men laughed.

"When the forbidden door is opened, the light of the Orichalcos will punish this filthy world. We are Doma's three swordsmen!" They all said at the same time.

Jounouchi held up his fist at them.  
"You dun scare us, ya buncha freaks!" He snapped.

Yugi stepped in.

"The God cards don't belong to you! Give them back!" He demanded.

"The God cards serve a new master now, Nameless Pharaoh." One of the men said.

Yugi blinked in shock.

"_How did they know about the Pharaoh?_" He thought to himself.

The three men turned their motorcycles around.

"If you want you God cards back, follow us!" One of them said before they all sped towards and unfinished building with a crane at the top.

With a flash of gold, Yami took over again and followed the three men with his friends following as well.

* * *

Once they reached the top of the building, they ran into a man with a beard in a cloak.

"My name is Gurimo and I serve Lord Rafael!" The man announced.

"Gurimo! Those God cards hold more power than you understand! Return them! Before someone gets hurt!" Yami yelled at the man.

Gurimo smirked.

"I'm well aware of how much power the God cards hold. If you want them back, you'll have to duel me!" He said, activting his Duel disk.

"Very well then!" Yami accepted, activating his own Duel disk.

Cat stared at the two duelists.

"_I don't believe this. Battle City is finally over and suddenly, dangerous events turn up, wanting something to do with the God cards, the Pharaoh or the Millennium items!_" She thought to herself before she looked to the ground, a little sad. "_Don't...they ever get any peace? Doesn't Yami get any peace? I can only hope this will all pass after this duel. Although...I have a feeling it won't._"

The duel was about to begin.

* * *

The duel started out as a normal duel. But as the duel continued, something strange happened.

Gurimo played a strange magic card that no one had ever seen before. It was called, "The Seal of Orichalcos".

Once he played it, a circular boundary filled with magical symbols appeared on the ground around the duelists and the duel area. Within the circle, a series of lines drew out an asymmetrical six-pointed star-like shape within it. It glowed green.

After Gurimo played the card, a miniature version of the seal appeared on his forehead.

When the seal appeared, Cat, Jounouchi, Honda, Kristen and Anzu were all thrown back by the seal's energy. When Yami tried to run to his friend's aid, he realized that he could not leave the seal.

Gurimo explained that once the seal surrounded someone, no one could enter or leave the seal.

But that wasn't the only thing the seal did. At the end of the duel, the loser's soul would remain locked within the seal while the winner could leave unharmed.

Whomever played the Seal of Orichalcos would also get their monster powered up.

The Millennium Puzzle seemed almost powerless within the seal.

The duel didn't end quickly, but Yami won in the end.

What Yami and his friends didn't realize, was that three motorcyclists were watching the duel nearby.

Yami fell to his knees, exhausted.

"That...was close..." He sighed to himself.

Gurimo looked up to the three motorcyclists and tossed them Obelisk, one of the God cards.

The three motorcyclists had let Gurimo borrow Obelisk to help him win the duel, but he failed anyways.

"Master Rafael!" Gurimo cried as he tossed the card to them.

They caught the card as the seal grew smaller around Gurmio, forming a column of light that seemed to create a vortex that reached the sky, sucking Gurimo's soul out.

As the seal disappeared, Gurimo fell to the ground senselessly.

"Gurimo..." One of the motorcyclists said silently. The motorcyclist's name was Rafael.

"We now know more about the Pharaoh's duelist strategies. Let's go." Another motorcyclist said. This one's name was Valon. The last motorcyclist, who remained silent, was named Amelda.

The three turned to go.

"Stop!" Yami cried after them. The three stopped and looked at him. "I won! Return the Egyptian God cards!"

They laughed.

"You have to defeat all three of us to get them back, Pharaoh." Amelda said.

Jounouchi growled.

"You cowards!" He yelled angrily. "No one told us we had to duel all three of you! Give them back before I beat them out of your hands!"

Valon laughed. "That one reminds me of myself. Only dumber and less attractive." He said, grinning. "He'll be fun to duel."

Without another word, the three left.

Yami rushed over to Gurimo and looked at him.

Honda joined him.

"Is he...dead?" He asked.

"No. But his soul is gone." Yami replied.

He picked up the Seal card. It had the man's picture on it.

Kristen bent down and picked up a glowing, green crystal necklace that Gurimo was wearing.  
"Wow...pretty." She mummered before turning and calling to Yami. "Hey Yugi! Check this out!"

Yami came over and looked at the crystal. Cat joined the two.

"Do you think it has something to do with all this?" Cat asked.

"I don't know. But it's like the dark power of the Millennium Items." Yami replied.

Cat stared at the necklace a moment more before turning around and walking away a little while her friend's behind her continued to investigate the area.

She hugged herself.  
"_I knew it. Something strange is happening and it sounds like we're going to be on some sort of mission again._" She thought to herself and sighed. "_First it was Marik, threatening people's lives. And now some weird Duel Monsters card that can capture people's souls within the card! Plus, we don't know who's behind all this and whoever they are, they now have the God cards! The key's to Yami's memories! He...he was really looking forward to regaining his lost memories._"

Cat looked back at her friends. Most of them seemed to act like this was nothing new.

She sighed again.

"_I won't be standing at the side-lines anymore. I'm going to help Yami this time. With the lessons he taught me about Duel Monsters._"

* * *

**Yeah, I realize the break in between Battle City and the Waking of the Dragons/D.O.O.M saga was pretty short but...yeah.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See ya next chappie! :D  
**


	22. The Day After

Cat shut her apartment door behind her, locking it.

She looked at the floor, standing there in her school uniform. She almost felt too anxious to go to school.

But perhaps they could learn something about what had happened last night, after school.

Looking back up, she shut her eyes and sighed, trying to get rid of her anxiety. Once she re-opened her eyes, she turned and left for school.

* * *

After school, everyone was walking around the streets of Domino.

Yesterday, when everyone was on their way to Kaiba Corp., they ran into two people. Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood.

Rex and Weevil were two short duelists that Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu had met in a tournament called "Duelist Kingdom". It took place before Battle City.

Weevil was a short guy who had a strange bowl-cut for hair. And his hair color was a strange, light blue-green.

He wore a long-sleeved green shirt with a black design on the front and black shorts. His tennis shoes were the same color as his shirt.

And finally, he wore big, yellow glasses over his blue eyes.

Rex was short was well. He had long, shaggy brown hair. His bangs, though, were purple and on his head, he wore a red hat. Along with that, he wore tennis shoes, brown pants, a yellow shirt and a green jacket over the shirt.

Yesterday, they were in a trance, talking about how the world was going to end.

Apparently their souls had been captured by the Seal as well and were released after Yami won the duel against Gurimo.

They all noticed that the two seemed to be back to normal.

But...why were they like that yesterday? Jounouchi and Honda certianly wanted an answer.

The two picked up Rex and Weevil by their shirts, making them hang in the air.

"HEY! What the-...!?" Weevil shrieked as he flung around in the air.

"What give?!" Rex snapped as he also flung around in the air.

Yugi walked up to the two.

"What did you two do yesterday?" He asked.

Rex and Weevil stopped flinging around and looked at Yugi.

"Yesterday was kinda strange. We were just walking around until we ran into some bearded man! He forced us to duel with him and we lost. The next thing we know, we woke up in the middle of the night! We must have passed out or something." Rex explained, hoping the answer would make Jounouchi and Honda release him and Weevil.

Weevil nodded. "Yeah. And when we dueled the man, it was early afternoon!" He added in.

Cat and Kristen looked at each other.  
"They everyone seems to know these two." Cat said. "Have you seen them before?"  
Kristen shook their head.

"You?" She asked.  
Cat shook her head as well. The two girls shrugged.

"Well...why were you two mummering about the world ending yesterday?" Yugi asked.

Jounouchi and Honda set the two down.

Weevil clutched his throat while Rex answered. "I don't remember." He said. "By the way, can we see the God cards?"

The question was almost random.

Yugi sighed and looked down.

"They were stolen." He answered.

"Yeah. But we'll win them back easily!" Jounouchi said.

"We'd better go. Rex, Weevil, let us know if you see any suspicious bikers, okay?" Yugi said to the two boys before the six friends walked off.

"Okay!" Rex and Weevil called after them.

But once the six friends were out of sight, the two boys chuckled evilly.

"The God cards are up for grabs now, Rex!" Weevil laughed.

"I hear ya!" Rex agreed.

* * *

"So...things first start to get freaky at the museum...then monsters pop up all over the world...and bikers are stealing people's souls with a card!" Honda listed as the six friends continued to walk down the streets of Domino. "I guess that sums everything up!"

"I think all these events are tied together somehow." Anzu added in.

"That's fairly obvious since all these events happening in the same day could hardly be a coincidence." Kristen stated.

"True. But I think the most important thing right now is finding out who's all behind this, how we can stop them and how we can get Yugi's God cards back." Cat said.

"Geez! Why does all the weird stuff halfta happen to us?!" Jounouchi sighed out loud.

Yugi remained silent as he carried a worried yet sad look on his face.

But he looked up when he heard someone call his name.

A young blond girl with half-glasses, long hair, freckles, and green eyes, ran up and flung herself onto Yugi's arm.

She wore a pink sweater with a blue, plaid mini-skirt.

"Hiya, Yugi Darling!" She said happily. The girl was obviously within the age group of 9-13.

"Uh...Hi?" Yugi said with a confused look.

Anzu looked annoyed.  
"You know this girl?" She asked in an irritated voice.

The girl smiled and pulled out a card, showing it to Yugi.  
"Remember this?" She asked.

It was the ties of friendship card!

"Oh! Now I remember! You're Rebecca Hawkins!" Yugi exclaimed, remembering that he gave her that card a while ago.

After the Duelist Kingdom tournament, Rebecca approached Yugi, accusing that his grandfather had stolen her grandfather's Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. She dueled Yugi for it, even though Yugi tried to tell her that his grandfather didn't steal the card.

After the duel, Rebecca arrived and explained to Rebecca that he gave Yugi's grandfather the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card as a gift because they were both close friends.

Rebecca apologized to Yugi and Yugi gave her the ties of friendship card before they went their separate ways.

Jounouchi flinched.

"Wh-What?! This girl is THAT brat?!" He cried, shocked. "She looks so much different! Did you get a haircut?"

Honda looked at Jounouchi as if he was stupid. "No, no Jounouchi. She traded her teddy bear for glasses." He said in a confident way.

Indeed, when they first met Rebecca she always carried around a teddy bare that she no longer carried currently.

Rebecca shook her head. "I graduated and I didn't need a teddy anymore! Besides, now I have a boyfriend!" She grinned at Yugi.

Yugi looked rather dumbfounded.

"Wow...I'll be sure to add this to our list of weird events." Jounouchi mummered.

"Maybe we should stay out of this one." Honda suggested.

Anzu looked rather angry as Rebecca hugged Yugi's arm.

Cat and Kristen looked at each other, confused.

"Another person we haven't met yet. I'm starting to feel out of the loop." Kristen said hopelessly.

"Ah...I guess they just know a lot of people." Cat said.

At that moment, Rebecca glanced at Cat and Kristen.

The two girls blinked at put on a small smile for Rebecca.

Rebecca frowned and turned to Yugi.  
"Yugi! Just how many girl's do you plan to become friend with?!" She asked, irritated.

Cat and Kristen blinked. What a strange girl.

"Uh...well..." Yugi mummered.

"It's okay Yugi. I'll forgive you this time." Rebecca said, cutting Yugi off. "Anyways, now to tell you why I came. My grandpa would like to see you, Yugi."

"What? Me?" Yugi asked.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering what Rebecca's grandfather wanted.

* * *

Later, they all met up with Professor Hawkins and Solomon Motou, who were both at Domino Museum's ancient Egyptian Exhibit.

They stood in front of the still frozen stone tablet.

"Oh! Yugi! You're exactly the person I needed to see!" Professor Hawkins exclaimed happily.

Professor Hawkins was an older man and his hair was gray. But he seemed to be younger than Yugi's grandfather and he looked like the kind of guy who liked to look clean.

He had a small mustache and wore a tan suit with a small red bow tie.

Solomon and Professor Hawkins were close friends who used to do archeology in Egypt together. Professor Hawkins seemed to still be studying about Egypt.

Yugi and the others approached him.

"I have a theory that these monster appearances have something to do with you, Yugi." Professor Hawkins continued.

"What?" They all asked.

"It was easy to find out, but it appears, according to this ancient stone tablet, you share a bond with a 3,000 year old Pharaoh, Yugi!" Professor Hawkins exclaimed. Yugi, Jounouchi, Cat, Kristen, Honda and Anzu didn't look surprised. "In my recent studies, I've been studying Duel Monsters and have discovered that is started out more than just a game! Egyptain sorcerers learned to seal away the real monsters in stone tablets. As more monster tablets were collected, the sorcerer's powers grew stronger until the shadow magic spun out of control and threatened to destroy all life on earth! But one man was able to turn the darkness to light; the great Pharaoh whose power you carry, Yugi!"

"But...what does that have to do with what's happening now?" Yugi asked.

"Have the monsters returned?" Kristen also asked.

"Well...they have, but there's more to it than that. Have you kids ever heard of the lost city of Atlantis?" Professor Hawkins asked.

"I have...I read about it in a book once." Anzu mentioned.

Honda laughed.

"You're such a nerd, Anzu."

Anzu glared at him and smacked the back of his head. "Shut up!" She snapped.

"I've heard of it too. Atlantis is widely known back in America." Cat said.

"Well...I may have discovered Atlantis. How it has been around longer than Egypt. But what puzzled me the most was the carvings. Here, take a look." Professor Hawkins said as he handed the group some photos of the carvings he took.

Yugi looked through them while everyone else looked over his shoulder to see the photos for themselves.

"They...look just like Duel Monsters!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Yes! So the monsters didn't originate in Egypt 3,000 years ago...but in Atlantis 10,000 years ago!" Professor Hawkins said almost excitedly.

"You didn't tell me about this yet! Your discovery could rewrite history!" Solomon exclaimed.

"There's still a lot I don't know, though." Professor Hawkins explained.

Yugi continued to look through the photos.

"Some of them seem to be monsters attacking cities." He mentioned.

"True...but only some of the monsters are attacking the city." Professor Hawkins pointed out.

"Does that mean that some of the monsters were good?" Yugi asked.

"I believe that there is a parallel world of monsters that exists along side ours. All through history too. There have been only some people who have been able to release these monsters. Some of them helped mankind while others destroyed it." Professor Hawkins said.

Honda laughed.

"Gimme a break! That can't be true!"

Rebecca glared at Honda and kicked him in the knee. Honda cried out in pain and held his knee, hopping on one foot.

Jounouchi raised his eyebrow.  
"Wow...Honda's on a roll. Usually it's me that get's smacked all the time." He said.

"Hey! Anyone who messes with Grandpa, messes with me! Besides, didn't you know that Pegasus created the game after seeing the carvings himself?!" Rebecca snapped at Honda.

"I know it's a bit far fetched..." Professor Hawkins started.

"But it's true!" Rebecca cried, finishing her grandfather's sentence.

"Hey! Relax, I believe ya! How could I not after all these weird things we've experienced! Like all the shadow games and whatnot!" Jounouchi said, holding up his hands.

"There's plenty of things that can't be explained." Kristen said.

"Yeah. Like how the Pharaoh is living within my Millennium Puzzle." Yugi added in.

"And like how my cartouche changed the carved name from "Luna" to "Cat", my name." Cat mummered to herself.

Professor Hawkins looked at Kristen and Cat and smiled.

"Oh! I don't suppose we've met!" He said to the two girls cheerfully and shook their hands. "My name is Professor Hawkins, in case you didn't know."

Kristen and Cat smiled politely at him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kristen." Kristen said.

"And I'm-"

"Cat, right?" Professor Hawkins cut in. "I apologize for cutting in like that, but my dear friend, Solomon, has already told me much about you! About your distant tie to the ancient past as well! You may play a part in all this as well."

Cat blinked. "R-Really?" She asked, confused.

"Yes, yes! You're the ancestor of Luna! Don't worry! We learned some things about her on some of our expeditions!" Professor Hawkins grinned. "How delightful…and you look just like her too!"

Cat smiled lightly. "Thank you." She replied.

Professor Hawkins then suddenly looked like he was in thought.  
"Although...in my studies, there's supposed to be two more people connected to the ancient past as well. But I could be wrong. It's just an assumption anyways." He said.

"Two more?" Kristen asked.

Cat thought for a moment.  
"_That's right...back in the Battle City finals, Marik said something along those lines. There's someone within our group, besides Yugi and Kaiba, who has a connection to the ancient past. Who could it be?_" She thought to herself before glancing at Yugi. She could tell Yugi was thinking the same thing.

"Anyways, our hypothesis suggests that the supernatural phenomena they've experienced may find it's roots in Atlantis." Rebecca continued.

Honda grinned. "Those are some pretty big words for a little kid." He said.

Rebecca glared at him.

"I am NOT a little kid!" She snapped. "For your information, I'm a collage student!"

"My granddaughter here is a very gifted young lady." Professor Hawkins said proudly.

Rebecca smiled with pride.  
"I'm just your average child genius. G-E-N-I-U-S." She spelled out.

Everyone looked shocked and surprised at the fact that the girl who was younger than all of them, was in collage.

Jounouchi shifted his eyes to the side.  
"I wonder if she can spell "Obnoxious" too..." He mummered.

Rebecca's anger returned. "HEY! I heard that Katsuya!" She snapped.

"Now, now Rebecca...that is now how a collage student acts." Professor Hawkins said calmly. Rebecca frowned but calmed down a little. "Moving on...Egyptian sorcerers conjured these monsters 3,000 years ago. Luckily, the Pharaoh was there to save mankind from destruction. Now that the Pharaoh has been reborn in Yugi, it could mean that mankind needs his help again."

Yugi looked down in thought.

He was confused on what to do next. Find out what the motorcycle gang was up to or find a way to send the monsters back to their own world.

After a moment, Yugi looked up. "Wait." He said, digging in his pocket. "I think I may have a clue."

Once he found the object he was looking for, he pulled it out. It was the crystal necklace that was found yesterday after they defeated Gurimo.

Professor Hawkins examined it for a moment. "Huh...I've never seen anything like it." He said. "But it is incredibly like something I've discovered on one of my expeditions. May I take it back to my lab, Yugi?"

Yugi nodded and handed him the necklace.

Once the conversation was over, everyone headed outside the museum.

"I plan on taking Professor Hawkins and Rebecca to the airport. You guys walk back home safely, alright?" Solomon said.

Everyone nodded.

Rebecca walked up to Yugi and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you soon, cutie!" She said before heading back to join her grandfather.

Yugi looked embarrassed while Anzu glared at Rebecca angrily.  
The three got into the taxi and drove away.

Yugi sighed.  
All of this just had to happen when things were returning to normal.

* * *

**Meh. Sorry if the chapter seems boring today. But I hope you enjoyed it anyways!  
See you next chappie! :D**


	23. Unexpected call from Pegasus

Deep within a fortress, stone serpents were surrounded by torches. The three bikers that stole Yugi's God cards, came to report to their master.

"Sir…we've have good news. We have found the Pharaoh, but we weren't able to catch his soul." Rafael reported.

"I didn't expect you to catch him so soon." The robed man said.

Rafael walked up to the robed man and presented him a box which held the three Egyptian God Cards.

The robed man took them eagerly.

"Finally! I've been waiting an eternity to be able to hold their power in my hands! Now I possess the force necessary to awaken the great beast!" He said.

The robed man took the three cards out of the box and turned, placing them in the mouths of the stone serpents.

"Soon, we'll destroy mankind and rebuild civilization to the way it was!" He said with an evil smirk.

* * *

Cat sat at her table, poking at the ice cubes in her water. The T.V in front of her was on, but she was hardly paying attention to it.

It was late at night and Cat couldn't sleep after everything they had learned that day. It sounded like everyone had a long journey ahead of them.

And yet there were so many questions unanswered.

She sighed, her eyes tired.

"I can't believe Professor Hawkins really thinks I have a part in this." She mummered to herself. "Just because I'm related to someone who was the Pharaoh's lover 3,000 years ago, doesn't mean I have some sort of special connection to the past."  
She layed her head on the table and thought some more.

"But...I can't deny it forever. It keeps on coming up. I suppose I have to be open minded to the possibility that I do have some sort of connection." She continued to mummer to herself. "Perhaps that's why my cartouche changed from "Luna" to "Cat"."

Cat laid there, silent for a moment until suddenly a bright light shined through her window. Sitting up, Cat looked at her sliding doors that led to her balcony.

Where was that light coming from?

Standing up, she opened her sliding glass doors and walked into her balcony. She gasped.

It was an unnatural light! And it was just floating there in the middle of the city.

She stared at it harder and discovered that monsters were suddenly being absorbed within the light.

"That..." She gasped and quickly ran back into her apartment, getting dressed and running out of her apartment. "That HAS to have something to do with all these current events!"

* * *

Cat ran to the city plaza and found Yugi, Kristen, Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu already there.

"Guys!" She called and ran up to them.

"Cat! You came too?" Yugi asked.

Cat nodded. "How could I not notice that light?" She asked.

"Yeah. And who could sleep with this light?" Honda asked.

They looked up at the light to find that crystals of ice were starting to form as the monsters were absorbed. Suddenly the ice shattered! And an eye was revealed.

Everyone gasped and stared at it in horror. What was that?!

Suddenly a huge blast of energy came from the eye and started to head straight towards Yugi!

Jounouchi, Cat, Kristen, Honda and Anzu ran out of the way, but Yugi stayed put.

"Yugi!" Kristen cried.

Yugi's Duel Disk glowed and he pulled out a strange card with a dragon on it.

Holding it up, he summoned the monster on the card.

"Timaeus! Come forth!" Yugi called.

The other five friends looked confused.  
"T-Timaeus?" Cat asked.

"What the...I've never seen that card before!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"Same here!" Honda agreed.

The large, green dragon appeared and attacked the strange eye with a blast of flame.

After the eye was struck, it cracked into pieces.

As the pieces of the shattered eye fell to the ground, Timaeus returned to the card in a flash of lightening.

The five friends were so surprised at everything that was happening, they hardly noticed the Dark Magician Girl, a duel monster, who appeared next to Yugi in a bubble of pink light.

The Dark Magician Girl was the one who brought Yugi to Timaeus, thus awakening the dragon. Yugi and Yami had met the Dark Magician Girl within the depths of the Millennium Puzzle and she told them about the three Legendary Dragons. Apparently three warriors are supposed to awaken the three Legendary Dragons. Yami was one of the "warriors", for he awakened Timaeus.

She also told them why monsters were appearing in their world and about the monster world itself. Also how someone opened the gate between the monster and human world and was trying to restore the "great beast" to how it was before the Legendary Dragons defeated it and sealed it away.

The Dark Magician Girl looked at Yugi. "This is merely the beginning, I'm afraid." She said. "The great beast that is trying to destroy us is still weak, so he retreated for the moment. But many monsters from my world remain imprisoned. The great beast will return again and his power will grow. He must be stopped before he can be fully restored! I wish you two luck...and please be careful."

The Dark Magician Girl then disappeared in pink light.

Yami appeared beside Yugi.

"Timaeus is strong...but apparently, not strong enough." Yugi said.

Yami nodded. "We must release the other two dragons." He said.

Yugi looked at Timaeus' card as Yami faded back into the Millennium Puzzle.

* * *

The next morning came and everyone gathered at Yugi's house while Solomon swept the sidewalk outside in front of the game shop.

Everyone was watching the news.

The news was reporting strange weather patterns and other strange occurrences.

"It seems that what happened in Domino last night, happened all over the world! I guess it wasn't a dream." Kristen said as Jounouchi picked up the Timaeus card.

"Yugi was able to kick that thing's butt with this card..well...at least we have it." Jounouchi said.

Honda quickly snatched the card from his friend's hands.

"I still don't understand how a duel monster card was able to do all that!" He said, looking at it.

Jounouchi frowned and snatched it back.

"Only a true duelist can tell when a card is special and must be handled with care!" He snapped.

Anzu sweatdropped as she watched Honda and Jounouchi.

"I don't know if that's the case, Jounouchi." Cat said with a small smile as Yugi took the card back.

"Well...we don't know what else this card can do." Yugi said, looking at the card.

Yami appeared next to Yugi and nodded.

"That card contains the spirit of an ancient dragon. And even though it protected us, it could be dangerous." He said.

"You know...I think we should do something!" Anzu said.

"Great idea! But...what SHOULD we do?" Jounouchi asked her almost sarcastically.

"Well we could start with the monster sightings...or the giant eye that tried to blast us." Honda suggested.

"Or that motorcycle gang?" Kristen added in.

Jounouchi rubbed his head.

"I don't think I'm catchin' on..."

Yami and Yugi glanced at each other.

Jounouchi grabbed the card from Yugi again.

"Maybe if we can get this dragon out of the card, it could give us a clue!" He suggested.

Honda smacked Jounouchi's head.

"Hey! Whatever happened to "handling it with care", huh, Mr. True Duelist?!" He snapped.

"HEY! Why you...!" Jounouchi growled and the boys grabbed each others' shirts, about to get into a fight until they saw Solomon walk in.

They quickly let go of each other.

"Yugi...you have a package from America." Solomon said, handing Yugi the package and leaving the room.

"Thanks Grandpa." Yugi said and looked at the label.

"Is it from Otogi?" Anzu asked.

"No...it's from Pegasus!" Yugi exclaimed.

Jounouchi, Honda, Cat, Kristen and Anzu stared at the package. A moment passed until Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu freaked out.

"Argh! Not again! Remember the last time he sent you a package, Yugi?! He took your grandpa's soul!" Honda cried. "We should just toss the thing!"

Before Duelist Kingdom started, Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu first met Pegasus through a video tape that he sent in a package. Pegasus was after Yugi's Millennium Puzzle at the time and so he forced Yugi into joining his tournament, "Duelist Kingdom", by taking Solomon's soul with his Millennium Eye.

"But we have to open it first!" Anzu said.

"Sorry guys, but I'm with Honda on this one. I'm tired of dat guy and his soul snatchin' ways!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

Cat and Kristen looked at the other three, clueless.

"Soul snatching?" Cat asked.

"I-Isn't the Pegasus you're talking about, Kay's uncle?" Kristen asked.

"Ah...we'll have to tell you two the story later." Yugi said to Cat and Kristen before opening the package. "For all we know, Pegasus could be a different man now."

There was a videotape and a duel monsters card within the package!

"I say we tape over that tape with Saturday morning cartoons!" Jounouchi said. "Pegasus probably wants to take our souls with that tape! Just like last time!"

"Wait a minute guys. Pegasus doesn't even have the Millennium Eye anymore. Remember?" Anzu pointed out.

"That's true." Honda said. "He was a little less creepy when we left. Someone stole it, right?"

Yugi nodded.

Yami appeared beside Yugi in spirit again.

"Pharaoh, what do you think we should do?" Yugi asked.

"Well...I think we should listen to what Pegasus has to say. After all, he did create the card game. Maybe he has something to do with all of this." Yami answered. "Besides, it's true he doesn't have the Millennium Eye anymore. So he can't take anymore souls."

"Alright then." Yugi said as he popped the tape into the VCR while Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu cringed and almost dove for cover.

Pegasus appeared on the screen.

This was the first time Cat and Kristen had seen Pegasus.  
Pegasus had brown, sharp eyes and long silver hair that covered the other side of his face, where his Millennium Eye used to be. He wore a fancy red and white suit with white shoes.

"Hello, Yugi-boy. It's been such a long time since I've last heard from you. You could have at least sent me an e-mail!" He greeted. Pegasus had an accent of sorts.

Cat sweatdropped.

"You know...he almost sounds like a girlfriend who hasn't heard from her boyfriend in a long time. Especially with that last sentence." She said.

"I'm positive you have heard of the recent situations and whatnot." Pegasus continued. "Lucky for me, Kaiba is taking most of the heat. But at the same time, it's ruining the reputation of my game! And I can't have that. Besides, I know who really is behind all this. But it's too risky to leave any information on this tape. I must see you in person before I can share anymore information. I've left you a one-of-a-kind duel monsters card. And I strongly suggest you don't lose it. Well then, I'll see you in America!"

The tape ended.

"There's no way we can trust dat guy..." Jounouchi was the first to speak.

Yami appeared beside Yugi again.

"I think we shoudl go. Pegasus may be our only hope right now." He said.

Yugi nodded in agreement.

"Yeah." He said and stood up. "Well, I'm going!"

"Well if that's the case, I'm going to be right by Yugi's side!" Jounouchi said, smiling.

"That was a quick change of mind." Kristen said to Jounouchi.

"Hey, I didn't say I was excited to see Pegasus or anything." Jounouchi mummered.

"Count us in!" Honda and Anzu said at the same time.

Yugi turned to Cat and Kristen.

"What about you two?" He asked.

Cat thought for a moment.  
"Sure! I'd love to go. I wouldn't mind visiting my home country again." She said.

Jounouchi grinned.  
"Great idea! And maybe you can be our interpreter too!" He laughed. "Kristen as well!"

Cat smiled weakly.  
"I guess."

"Kristen?" Yugi asked.

Kristen thought for a moment.

"I don't know." She mummered.

"I'd be happy if you came along too." Yugi said, smiling sweetly. "Although, if you really don't want to go..."

Kristen looked at her lap shyly, blushing a little before looking back up, smiling.

"Okay. I'll go too." She said.

Yugi's smile grew bigger.  
"Great!"

"Alwright! We're off to America! And best of all, it's free!" Jounouchi cried happily.

Little did the group of friends know, Rex and Weevil were spying on them and listening to everything they were saying.

* * *

At the bottom of the sea, one of the giant eyes laid there, crackling with electricity.

But back on the Fortress Island, the robed man was talking to leviathan, the great beast that everyone was warned about.

"Our time will come, great leviathan. By the might of the three Egyptian God Cards the beast has been reborn. And once it is replenished with enough souls, no one will be able to stop us!" The man said. "The boy, summoning Timaeus is only a minor setback."

The man's name was Dartz.

"RAFAEL!" Dartz called.

Rafael approached and kneeled before Dartz. "I know what I must do. I am to find the Pharaoh and drain his power to feed the great beast." He said.

"But we need more than just the Pharaoh's soul." Dartz said.

The other two bikers walked up and kneeled before him too.

"We'll deal with the others too. I'll take care of Kaiba." Amelda said.

"And I have my eye on Jonouchi Katsuya." Valon said.

"Very well then. But Yugi and his friends are on their way to meeting the man we've been keeping an eye on. You must get there before they do." Dartz said. "Go see Pegasus at once!"

"Yes sir!" They all said and left.

* * *

Nighttime. Everyone was in their own homes, packing to head off to America.

"I wonder how long we'll be in America?" Anzu asked herself as she packed some things. "Ugh, I really need to go shopping one of these days."

---

"AGH! STUPID SUITCASE!" Honda yelled in frustration at his overfilled suitcase and sighed. "I guess I should leave my Yo-yo behind."

---

"Yeah. We're all flying out tomorrow to California." Jounouchi said to his sister over the phone. "Yeah, yeah, I packed plenty of sunscreen. Don't catch a cold while I'm gone, 'kay?"

---

Kristen was already finished packing and she sat on her bed, staring at her suitcase. "Hm. I don't know if Kay will return while I'm gone. I should probably leave her a note." She said to herself.

---

Cat was currently packing her bag. "It feels like its been forever since I've been in America. It'll be nice, I guess." She mummered to herself before frowning a little. "But this isn't a vacation. I'll do my best to help this time!"

---

Yugi smiled as he finished packing. He looked over at his desk and spotted the card Pegasus sent him.

"Oh yeah! This is one thing I don't want to forget!" He said, picking it up before looking over at Yami, who was standing in the room, staring at the wall with his arms crossed. "Pegasus said this card is one-of-a-kind. Have you ever seen this card before, Pharaoh?"

Yami didn't answer, spacing out.

"Hello? Pharaoh?" Yugi called.

Yami snapped out of his thoughts.

"Oh! I'm sorry Yugi. I wasn't paying attention."

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked him.

"Huh? Yes, I'm fine."

"Don't try to hide it, Pharaoh. I can tell when you're worried about something." Yugi said, grinning a little.

Yami sighed.

"Alright. I'm a little worried. I guess it's because we know so little about this new enemy." He replied.

"_If only I knew a little more about my own past, I could be a little more helpful._" Yami thought to himself.

"I heard that!" Yugi said.

Yami looked up at Yugi, a little surprised.

"Our spirits are connected, remember?" Yugi asked.

Yami looked a little speechless and Yugi laughed.

"Don't worry. Maybe you're just worried because I am too. The future of the world depends on us. What if we mess up?" Yugi pondered out loud.

"We won't." Yami answered, looking a little uncertain.

"What else are you worried about?" Yugi asked. "Don't deny it either."

Yami frowned a little.  
"I guess...I'm worried if this new journey will end up putting any of our friends in danger again." He answered.

"That's true." Yugi said, frowning in thought. "We'll just have to be very careful. At least from what we know, there isn't any groups that like to kidnap people."

"Like how they were constantly trying to kidnap Cat and later on, kidnapped Cat, Jounouchi, Kay, Anzu and Mokuba." Yami added in.

"That reminds me. Who do you think the other person connected to your past is?" Yugi asked.

Yami thought for a while.

"I'm honestly not sure. But apparently it's someone we know." He said. "I'm hoping we'll find out soon. That or I'll regain my memories and find out for myself."

Yugi nodded. "Yeah." He yawned. "Well, I'm going to bed. We're off to America tomorrow morning. Good Night Pharaoh." He shut off his lights and climbed into bed, falling asleep.

Yami remained silent as he stood there, still in spirit form. He looked up through the skylight in Yugi's room, at the big full moon.

* * *

Lights were started to be turned off at Cat's apartment.

She had finished packing and was about to head to bed until her phone suddenly rang.

Sitting on the side of her bed, she answered the phone.  
"Hello?"

"Cat!"

Cat blinked. "K-Kay? How did you know my number?" She asked.

"Don't tell me you forgot already! You gave it to me while we were on the blimp, remember? Pssh, scatterbrain..."

"Oh! Yeah, I remember now. What's up?"

"Well...there's something I need to tell you. It includes Seto and I would tell him, but you know how skeptical he is. He would never believe me." Kay said, her voice suddenly more serious. "Yugi should probably know too, but I wanted to tell you first."

"What is it?" Cat asked.

"Um...I got a call from Ishizu earlier today. I guess she got my number from uncle Pegasus since they've worked together before. Anyways, Ishizu told me something...very weird. And the scary part is...I believe her."

* * *

**Annnnddd...it's a cliffhanger!  
Lol, anywho. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
See you next chappie! :D**


	24. In America!

Cat's eyes were wide in shock.

"Y-You're kidding!" She cried.

"I'm not." Kay said on the other end of the phone. "That's what Ishizu told me. And for some reason, I feel like I can believe her on this. I don't know why."

Cat swallowed hard.  
"So...you...you have a connection. A connection to Yami's past too." She said slowly.

"According to Ishizu, yes." Kay said. "Just imagine how I feel! My connection to the past is a priestess or something like that, 3,000 years ago in Egypt, named Khephera!"

"And...Ishizu said that "Khephera" was friends with Luna." Cat mummered.

"Yeah. And apparently "Khephera" and Seto's ancestor were really close. Ugh...it's an awkward feeling, Cat."

"I understand, Kay."

Kay sighed. "Anyways...that's all I really wanted to say. Um, you can tell Yugi. In fact, I'd appriciate it if you did."

"Don't worry, I will." Cat said. "Anyways, I'd better go. We're heading to America tomorrow morning."

"Wait...WHAT?!" Kay almost yelled on the other side of the phone.

Cat had to pull the phone away from her ear because of Kay's yell.

"Y-Yeah. Pegasus asked Yugi to come to America and he's sending a jet to take us all there."

"Uncle Pegasus? He's calling you all over? Hmm...I'll bet it has to do with all the recent events."

"That's right."

"Well, if that's the case, I may be seeing you sooner than expected."

"Huh?"

"Me, Seto and Mokie are currently in America. Nearby uncle Pegasus at that. See we may get to see you."

Cat smiled. "That'll be great. I hope we can."

"Indeed." Kay said. "Anyways, you probably have an early morning, so I'll talk to you later, okay? See ya."

"Bye Kay."

Cat hung up her phone and set it back where it was before turning out her bedroom lights and climbing into her bed.

She sighed and shut her eyes, both worried and excited for the trip ahead of all of them.

* * *

The next morning, everyone met at the airport.

Everyone was wearing different outfits.

Cat was wearing another blue zip-up vest, but with a "V" neckline. The vest had a hood attached to it, which was a lighter shade of blue than the rest of the vest.

The skirt she was wearing looked exactly the same was the skirt on the girls' Domino High school uniform. Same color of blue, same length, style and such.

With that outfit, she wore brown knee-high boots that looked similar to hiking boots. Blue, fingerless gloves covered her hands and ended at her elbow. The gloves were the same shade of blue as her vest.

Cat still wore the same blue ponytail holder in her hair and around her neck, she wore a belt buckle, similar to Yugi's. On her upper arms she wore golden arm cuffs.

And to top it all off, she wore the silver cartouche she always wore.

Yugi wore the same clothes he wore in Battle City.

Kristen was wearing a yellow, button-up, short sleeved blouse with a dark blue mini-skirt.

With that, she wore yellow socks, white shoes, yellow clips in her hair and yellow bracelets on her wrists.

Jounouchi wore a long, white t-shirt and a short, blue denim jacket over it. His pants were a navy blue and he wore his regular tennis shoes with it. Around his neck, he wore the same necklace he wore in Battle City, a silver square pendant of sorts.

Honda wore a white t-shirt, that was tucked into his pants, and a brown jacket over it with dark green pants with a belt. With all that, he wore black shoes.

Anzu wore a low-neckline shirt with a white, button-up jacket over it. The mini-skirt she wore was a very light yellow with a red strip around it near the top. With that outfit, she wore a gold necklace and brown boots.

"Is everyone here?" Honda asked.

Cat looked around.

"Yup!" She said.

"You kid's better catch your flight or you'll be late." Solomon said, there to say goodbye to everyone.

"Right. Bye Grandpa! Take care while we're gone." Yugi said as everyone else said their goodbyes and headed off.

"I'll let you guys know if I hear from Professor Hawkins!" Solomon called after them.

Weevil and Rex weren't too far as they watched the group of friends. They giggled evilly and ran down a hallway.

* * *

Everyone stared out the airport window at the private jet that Pegasus sent them. Everyone was amazed.

"Wow! This is pretty impressive!" Honda pointed out.

"Nah! It's not a big deal!" Jounouchi pretended. "I'll have a whole fleet of these babies someday!"

Honda sweatdropped.  
"Yeah, you wish."

"I wonder why Pegasus wanted you to fly out here, Yugi." Kristen said.

"I guess it's because he may need help with whoever is behind this." Yugi answered.

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm here!" Jounouchi said proudly.

Everyone just sweatdropped, staring at Jounouchi.

"Meh, rich people like Pegasus and Kaiba are generous anyways." Jounouchi said and paused. "Wait, I take back what I just said about Kaiba."

"Is Kaiba in the U.S?" Anzu asked.

"He is. Kay called me last night." Cat answerd.

"Duel Monsters are appearing all over the world. He must be exhausted." Yugi said.

"Yeah? Jerk deserves it!" Jounouchi said.

Everyone smiled weakly and Cat leaned over to Yugi.

"Um, Yugi? There's something important I have to tell you sometime soon, okay? So don't let me forget." She whispered.

Yugi blinked.  
"Oh. Okay, sure." He said.

Just then, three men in suits arrived to take the group to the jet.

"Are one of you kids Yugi Motou?" One of them asked.

"That's me." Yugi replied.

The three men then took them to the jet.

Two of the men took care of everyone's luggage while one of them led the group into the jet.

Once they entered the jet, they all gasped in amazement.

"Wow! I feel like a rock star!" Anzu exclaimed.

"I bet they serve great food too!" Honda said happily.

Jounouchi jumped onto a seat.

"Hey Yug! Take a seat! These chairs are comfy!" He called.

Everyone took a seat.

Meanwhile, while the two men were bringing the luggage in the plane, one of the men was having trouble picking a bag up. It was too heavy!

"Hey! A little help would be nice!" The man called to the other.

The other man came and tried to pick it up with the other guy, but it was still too heavy!

One of them managed to load it on the other guys' back and dump it in the baggage hold.

The men gave it a strange look, as it seemed to have "cried" in protest and the dump.

Finally, the jet took off and the "heavy" bag in the hold flipped over.

Inside the bag…were Weevil and Rex.

"Everything's going according to plan, Rex…despite the fact that your FEET ARE ON MY HEAD!" Weevil cried.

"Well you didn't think of everything! I have to go to the bathroom!" Rex whimpered.

"Just hold it!" Weevil snapped.

"Do we have to stay in the bag the whole time?" Rex asked.

"Well, if we got out, we would get caught and then we wouldn't be able to get the rare cards! Stop complaining!" Weevil replied.

Hours later, as the gang is getting treated like royalty, Rex and Weevil were freezing in their bag.

"We're gonna die! This was a horrible plan!" Weevil cried.

"It's worth it! Keep thinking about the rare cards!" Rex reminded him.

* * *

It was nighttime and the jet was still well on it's way to America.

Everyone was feeling tired.

"Um...Yugi? Perhaps now would be a good time to tell you what Kay said to me." Cat said.

Yugi looked over at Cat.

"Sure. What's up?" He asked.

Everyone looked at Cat to listen.

"It's pretty important." She said. "Last night...when Kay called me, she said Ishizu had given her a call earlier that day."

"Ishizu?" Yugi asked. "What did she say?"

"Ishizu told Kay that...she had a connection to the past as well." Cat answered.

Everyone's eye grew wide and they gasped.

"WH-WHAT?!" Jounouchi cried loudly. "Kay too?!"

Cat nodded once.

"Wh-What's Kay's connection?" Yugi asked. Yami appeared next to him in spirit, wanting to listen to this important news as well.

"Khephera. A Priestess that worked for the Pharaoh 3,000 years ago. Apparently Khephera and Kaiba's ancestor were very close. That and Khephera and Luna were close friends." Cat explained.

"Whoa." Honda said.

"I...I never expect something like that..." Kristen said in shock.

"Why didn't Ishizu mention this earlier?" Anzu asked.

"We don't know." Cat replied.

"So it was Kay. That's surprising and yet...not so surprising at the same time." Yami mummered.

Yugi glanced at Yami.

"Well, at least we know the other connection." He said.  
Yami nodded.

* * *

The next morning, the jet finally arrived at the airport. Everyone was eagerly pressed up against the windows to see. Everyone except Kristen and Cat.

Cat smiled a little.  
"It's kinda nice to visit America again." She said.

Kristen grinned weakly.

"It's kind of odd for me...since I live here and I was visiting Japan." She said.

Cat sweatdropped.

"Oh...that kind of makes the visit to Japan a waste...doesn't it?" She asked.

"Ah...well...it's okay. I may end up moving to Japan soon anyways." Kristen said. "And besides, I can always make my visit longer."

"That's great!" Cat said, smiling again.

Outside the gate, the men that were escorting them, already had a limo ready to take everyone to see Pegasus.

As the men unpacked the baggage, Anzu spoke up. "I haven't seen this bag before." She pointed out at the bag, which carried the two mischievous boys in.

Everyone else hadn't seen it either, so the men took it to the lost-and-found, where Rex and Weevil stayed, sick and battered from the ride.

And with that, the limo with everyone inside, rode off into the city.

* * *

"Urgh! I don't care what they say! Hold all my calls and tell the reporters once and for all that Kaiba Corp. has nothing to do with all these monster appearances! Understand?!" Kaiba yelled angrily at his employee.

"Y-Yes, Mr. Kaiba." The man said before walking off.

Kaiba sat at his desk, annoyed. "Somebody's trying to make a fool out of me. I've worked too hard to regain this company's reputation! This has to stop!" He growled to himself.

Kay sat on the side of his desk, thinking.

"Do you really think someone is behind this?" She asked.

"What other answer is there?" Kaiba asked before calling Roland on his intercom. "Do you have any leads in the investigation?"

"No, sir." Roland replied.

"I want answers now! Understood?" Kaiba snapped and turned off the intercom before sighing. "The timing couldn't be worse. I was just about to announce our latest project."

Kay looked over at him.

"Try and relax, okay Seto? Getting angry isn't going to solve anything." She mummered.

Suddenly, the office door opened and Mokuba walked in, closing the door behind him.

"Hey Seto. Check out our database. Someone out there is buying up our shares in Kaiba Corp." He said.

Kaiba looked at their database on his computer.

"You're half right, Mokuba. There is only one person who has already bought half of Kaiba Corp! And he's still buying! If they buy anymore shares, I'll lose control of the company! I can't allow that. And there is only one person I know of who could do such a thing." He said.

Just then, the phone rang.  
Kaiba answered it. It was Pegasus!

"Well now, Kaiba-boy. It looks like you and me are partners now." Pegasus said over the phone.

"You snake! This company is mine! I'll never let you take it!" Kaiba snapped at Pegasus.

"I'm not interested in your company, Kaiba-boy. I just needed the upper hand into making you do something for me." Pegasus said.

Kaiba growled.  
"What?" He asked.

"Since both our companies are at stake, I was hoping that we could duel. Just to boost our public image." Pegasus replied.

"You must be out of your mind!" Kaiba snapped again.

"Oh, but if you refuse, Kaiba-boy, I'll buy the rest of your company and take it apart, piece by piece." Pegasus said.

Kaiba glared down at his desk. Kay could hear what Pegasus was saying on the phone, because she was so close to it.

She looked surprised.

"_What is uncle Pegasus thinking!? Why is he threatening Seto for a duel?!_" She thought to herself.

"Fine! I accept." Kaiba growled.

"Good! I've set up a dueling arena at Duelist Kingdom. Just for old time's sake. See you there." Pegasus said before hanging up.

* * *

Mokuba, Kay and Kaiba rode the elevator down together.

"I don't get it bro. You said you wouldn't duel until all the Kaiba Lands were opened. You even locked your deck away so you wouldn't be tempted." Mokuba said.

"I know. But the company is at stake. I have to duel." Kaiba answered and looked at Kay. "Care to explain why your uncle is suddenly throwing threats at me?"

Kay frowned.  
"I don't know!" She said, annoyed. "I'm trying to figure that out for myself too! It's not like uncle Pegasus to threaten something important to another for the sake of a duel!"

Once they reached basement 5, they approached a big vault.

"Are you sure you wanna go through with this, Seto?" Mokuba asked.

"I have no choice, Mokuba. For the sake of our company." Kaiba replied. He used a key card and code to open the large vault. Once it was open, they walked into the vault.

"You know...Pegasus could have been bluffing." Mokuba suggested.

"I can't take that chance." Kaiba simply said.

They walked up to a box and Kaiba used his key card to unlock it.

"I knew I was going to have to pull out my deck again, but I didn't think it would be this soon." He said.

Kaiba then took out his metal briefcase from it's compartment and removed his Duel Disk.

* * *

Later, Kaiba, Mokuba and Kay made their way to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet.

Mokuba stopped and looked down with a sad look.

Kaiba and Kay stopped and looked at Mokuba.  
"What's wrong?" Kaiba asked.

"I thought we were going to build Kaiba Land." Mokuba answered.

"We will. Just as soon as I teach Pegasus a lesson." Kaiba said as he stepped into the jet.

"And as soon as I find out why uncle Pegasus is acting so weird." Kay said. "Don't worry, Mokie." She stepped into the jet as well.

Mokuba looked up and smiled before joining the other two.

* * *

The limo drove through the city.

"This isn't like back home at all! This is San Francisco! Home of the Golden Gate Bridge and all the seafood you can eat!" Jounouchi said with glee.

"Man, I'm so excited! I've never been to America before!" Honda said happily.

"Well of course it's different! We're in another country after all." Anzu said.

"Right now, Japan and America feel like two homes to me." Kristen said, smiling a little.

"But, as much as I wish this was...we're not on vacation. And we need to remember that." Cat reminded.

Yami appeared in spirit form.

"She's right. And based on the message Pegasus sent us, he's obviously in trouble." He said to Yugi.

"Right." Yugi nodded.

Later that day, the limo stopped at an old, run down gas station in the middle of nowhere. The limo driver got out of the car and said he would be right back.

The group waited for a long time.

"I wonder why the driver is taking so long." Anzu said.

"We'd better go check on the guy." Jounouchi said, stepping out of the limo.

Everyone followed him.

They looked around, but there was no one at the station at all!

"Hold on a sec, guys. Do you hear that rumbling sound?" Jounouchi asked.

Everyone listened carefully.

"I don't hear anything." Honda said.

"Me either." Kristen said.

"Wait...but I can hear it." Yugi said.

They walked up to the road where a cloud of dust was formed. When the dust left, there was a gang of bikers dressed in all black and helmets covering their heads.

"Um, guys? I don't think they're here to rescue us!" Honda said to the others.

The bikers approached the group.

"You kids shouldn't be roaming around these parts." One of the bikers said.

Yami took over and the boys stood in front of the girls, protecting them.

"You have a problem?" Jounouchi asked.

"Just move on, will ya?" Honda demanded.

"Uh, Honda. It doesn't look like they're taking your advice." Yami stated.

The bikers looked like they were about to charge.

"Eh...I have an idea. RUN!" Jounouchi cried as everyone started to run towards the limo.

Valon and Rafael were watching nearby.

"Looks like the Pharaoh and his pals are ours." Rafael said.

Valon nodded.

"Yeah. They'll never be able to outrun the Choppers." He said.

Before everyone could reach the limo, the bikers surrounded them, pulling out metal poles.

One of them took a swing at Jounouchi.

Jounouchi held up an arm to protect himself, but before anything else happened, the biker's hand was suddenly hit by a card, causing the biker to fall off his motorcycle in shock, the pole flying from his hand.

Everyone looked at the card, confused.

The bikers had stopped to look at their fallen comrade. What just happened?

The looked around to find a woman on a red motorcycle appearing out of nowhere!

She wore a red helmet.

"Do any of you guys know who she is?" One of the bikers asked his group.

No one knew.

The biker woman threw more cards, knocking down more bikers as she passed by.

"I'm glad that woman is helping us and all...but...I'm not the only one who thinks it's strange that she's beating them by hitting them with cards, right?" Kristen asked.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Anzu asked as Honda grabbed her hand and started to run towards the limo.

"Let's ask questions later!" He said.

Rafael and Valon were also surprised at this new rider.

Everyone ran to the limo, but Jounouchi stopped and picked one of the cards up.

"Harpy Lady?" Jounouchi asked himself at loud.

He stared at it a moment longer until the red biker passed by him and snatched it.

Jounouchi finally realized who it was. There was only one person he knew that had Harpy Lady as their favorite and signature card.

"Mai!" He called out.

One of the bikers drove towards her, swinging a chain around. He threw it and it wrapped around her Duel Disk. She pulled on it, dragging the biker out of his seat.

His bike skidded into a gas tank, which caused a fire!

"That's not good!" Jounouchi exclaimed and ran towards the limo.

He quickly got in and drove the limo away from the gas station.

He looked behind him as the gas station blew up. But sighed with relief when he saw Mai drive out of the smoke.

"So...who saved us?" Anzu asked.

"It was Mai." Jounouchi answered. "I saw her."  
Everyone looked amazed.

"But...what is Mai doing out here?" Cat asked.

"I dunno. But it was her alright." Jounouchi replied.

* * *

**Whew. Long chapter. But since I went on a writing spree yesterday, it's a double update today. The next chapter is long, but not as long as this one.  
Also, I guess I made Cat's Waking of the Dragons/D.O.O.M saga outfit too detailed. But that's one of my favorite outfits of hers. Sorry the description was so long. Ack. Also, I hope I got other outfits right. Kristen's outfit I had to try and make by memory. There was a list of her outfits for different seasons, but I couldn't remember all of them. And the outfit she's wearing in this chapter probably isn't even the right outfit...ack. And I probably got the outfit wrong anyways. But I hope it's okay anyways...**

**Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
See ya next chappie! :D  
**


	25. Orichalcos Mai

"Geez, Jounouchi! Next time let an expert drive! If you hadn't taken so long, you wouldn't have had to drive so fast! And then the engine wouldn't have gotten overheated!" Honda snapped.

Everyone was stranded in the middle of nowhere. The limo wouldn't run because it had overheated.

"What?! I saved our bums and this is the thanks I get?!" Jounouchi cried.

The two were about to get into another fight until Anzu stepped in and told them to knock it off.

"Now is not the time to be fighting with each other." Yami said.

"We need a plan." Cat added in.

"We need to find Pegasus." Yami stated.

"Well...it's obvious that whomever is after Pegasus, knows that we're all here." Honda said. "They may have gotten to him first, so we have to be careful."

"But how are we gonna get around without a car?" Jounouchi asked.

Honda looked down the road.  
"Hey! Look!" He exclaimed pointing at a truck coming down the road." Hey girls! Do your magic hitch hiking skills!"

"Huh?" Cat, Kristen and Anzu asked in unison.

There was a short paused.

"Oh, I get it. Just do what I do, girls." Anzu said, taking Cat and Kristen out to the side of the road while the boys hid behind a rock.

Anzu stuck her thumb out, winking at the driver. Cat and Kristen looked at each other, uncertain before doing the same thing Anzu did.

The truck driver got all goggled eyed and stopped for the girls immediately. Although he didn't look too happy when the boys came out from behind the rock.

"Hey! Great job!" Jounouchi said.

The girls just sweatdropped and they all got into the back of the pickup truck.

"Well, this is nice." Kristen said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Hey! Honda, your suitcase is staking up my leg room!" Jounouchi snapped at Honda.

"Yeah? Well so is yours!" Honda snapped back.

"Geez! What do you have in your suitcase anyways?!" Jounouchi asked.

"Here, I'll show you." Honda said.

Honda then pulled out a Japanese toy. "I wanted to tell the Americans about our Japanese culture." He said.

"Okay then, lemme see what else ya got in here!" Jounouchi said, snatching the suitcase away from Honda.

He first pulled out a yellow stuffed cat and sweatdropped. "What the?" He asked.

"I can't sleep without that." Honda said.

Jounouchi's eyes went wide as he pulled out the next item. "What is this?!" He asked, holding a pair of boxers with the American flag on them.

"Hey! Not in front of the girls! Give them back!" Honda cried as he snatched his stuff back.

Kristen and Anzu laughed.

Yami seemed to be the only one who noticed Cat sitting in a corner of the truck, looking through her deck.

"Are you all right, Cat?" He asked.

Cat looked up, surprised.

"Oh! Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" She said quickly, putting her deck away.

"Hey, Cat. You have a deck. What's your favorite Duel Monsters card?" Jounouchi asked.

Cat smiled a little.

"That's easy. The Dark Magician Girl." She replied.

Everyone raised their eyebrows.  
"Why her?" Honda asked.

"Well..." Cat looked a little sheepish, looking down at her lap. "She's a pretty strong card and all. And I like magician cards. But...for some reason, I feel almost...connected to her. I know it sounds stupid, but almost like a share a friendship with the Dark Magician Girl. I can't explain why." She looked back up at her friends, a little embarrassed. "Plus...the Dark Magician Girl kind of reminds me of the Pharaoh and how he's taught me to play the game. Since his favorite card seems to be the Dark Magician...and the Dark Magician Girl is his counterpart and all."

Yami blinked before smiling a little, warmly.

Jounouchi grinned.

"It doesn't sound stupid at all! Us duelists can understand that feeling. The feeling of sharing a friendship with a card. Usually your favorite card." He said.

Anzu frowned at Cat. She was taking private lessons from the Pharaoh? Were they getting closer when she wasn't there?

"So the Pharaoh has been teaching you the game?" Honda asked. "How are you doing so far?"

"She learned very quickly for a beginner. Cat seems to understand how the game works very well." Yami said, sounding almost proud. "I would say she might be close to, if not, at, Jounouchi's current level. With some more practice, she'll be a master in no time."

Jounouchi looked a little stunned.

"Wow. That's impressive. B-But I want to duel you sometime Cat!" He said. "J-Just to see if you're really at my level or not!"

Cat smiled sheepishly, blushing a little. "N-No...it's all because Yami is such a good teacher." She said.

Anzu continued to frown at Cat. This was starting to make her angry.

She sighed and tried to look normal as she changed the subject.

"Hey, Jounouchi. How did you know that, that biker was Mai?" She asked.

"Huh?" Jounouchi asked and thought for a moment. "One of the cards she threw was the Harpy Lady. Plys I got a glimpse of her through her helmet. I was pretty impressed on how she took on those bikers."

"Yeah! She was awesome!" Honda said.

"I'm glad she's on our side, then." Kristen said.

"Too bad she didn't stick around to talk though." Cat mummered.

Jounouchi thought about Cat's comment for a moment.

Why didn't Mai stick around?

* * *

Back in San Francisco, Weevil and Rex trudged along the streets.

"Can this day get any worse? I've been stuffed in a gym bag, dumped off at the worst side of town…and been used as a trampoline by a bunch of street PUNKS!" Rex complained.

"No…things can't get worse." Weevil said.

But just after he finished saying that, a mugger ran by and stole Weevil's wallet.

"HEY! COME BACK HERE!" Weevil cried as the two boys started chasing the mugger.

"Can't get ANY WORSE, huh?!" Rex said angrily.

"Shut up!" Weevil snapped.

The situation seemed hopeless, for the mugger was far ahead of them.

But suddenly, the mugger got hit in the head and dropped Weevil's wallet! The mugger quickly took off without it.

"This belong to you?"

Weevil and Rex stopped and stared at the man holding their wallet. It was Otogi!

Later, Otogi drove his car with Weevil and Rex in the back.

"I'm surprised you two know Yugi." He said. "What are the odds that I would run into a couple of his friends here in my neck of the woods?"

"What? We're not-" Rex was about to tell Otogi that they weren't Yugi's friends but Weevil elbowed him in his arm.

"Y-Yes! We are very good friends of Yugi!" Weevil said with a smile.

"This could be our big break, Rex." Weevil whispered to Rex.

"I have a question. Is the rumor about Yugi losing the Egyptian God Cards true?" Otogi asked the two boys.

"Yes! It's true! A bunch of jerks snatched them away from him after the tournament!" Weevil said.

"And we came to help our good buddy get them back!" Rex said.

"And we were hoping that Pegasus would have some information about this all." Weevil said.

"Well…I haven't been able to get in touch with Pegasus for some reason…so we may as well head down to Industrial Illusions anyways." Otogi said, driving towards Pegasus's company.

* * *

The gang finally made it to Industrial Illusions.

They all stood in the foyer, calling to see if anyone was there.

"That's strange. No one seems to be here. Are they on holiday?" Jounouchi asked.

"It if was a holiday, the doors most certianly wouldn't be wide open." Kristen pointed out.

Yugi appeared in spirit form.

"I have a bad feeling about this." He said.

Yami nodded.

"My guess is that the thieves who were after Pegasus has already probably found him." He said.

Cat walked over to a phone and picked it up. "And this is even more strange. This phone doesn't work!" She said.

Suddenly, metal security gates fell and sealed all of the doors.

"Oh great! We're trapped!" Honda cried as he tried to get the gates open.

"We must have been tricked!" Anzu exclaimed.

Suddenly, the red bike from before flew down from somewhere and landed in the middle of the room.

"Is that really Mai?" Jounouchi asked.

The biker took off their helmet. It was Mai!

Jounouchi laughed. "Well, I hate ta say I told ya so, but I did!" He said to his friends before turning back to Mai. "What brings you to San Francisco, Mai?"

Mai was silent for a moment.

"I'm not Mai. Well...not the Mai you all knew before." She said as she pulled a card from her Duel Disk. "But you should know, Pegasus isn't here."

Mai showed everyone the card she had. It was a Seal of Orichalcos card! And Pegasus was on it!

Everyone gasped.

"D-Did you do this to him?!" Cat asked.

Jounouchi frowned.

"You better start talkin', Mai!" He said.

"Or else what?"

Everyone looked up, where the voice came from. Valon was standing on a nearby balcony with Rafael, watching them.

"Oh? Did your little reunion with Mai not go as planned?" Valon asked Jounouchi.

Jounouchi glared angrily at him.

Valon looked over at Mai. "Why are you keeping all these guys to yourself? Why not share the fun with us?" He asked her.

"Mind your own business! These geeks are mine!" Mai snapped at him.

"Mai! What are you talkin' about?! You're our friend!" Jounouchi cried.

"Why are you doing this?" Kristen asked.

"I can't believe you're betraying us like this! Don't you remember our goodbyes at the end of Battle City?!" Jounouchi asked.

"Hmph. I was never a part of your little play group! If you want to escape this place, you have to defeat me in a duel!" Mai said activating her Duel Disk. "Starting with you, Jounouchi!"

Jounouchi frowned for a moment longer. "Fine." He said, activating his Duel Disk.

Mai drew a card. "I honestly can't believe I was pathetic enough to call you "friend." You guys were only holding me back to achieve true power! So say hello to my real friend!" She cried as she played a card. "The Seal of Orichalcos!"

Suddenly, the seal formed around Jounouchi and Mai.

"Mai! This seal is messin' with your head! Don't you remember all that we went through together? I don't want to fight you!" Jounouchi cried.

Mai just glared at him. The Seal of Orichalcos had appeared on her forehead.

"It's just as I had feared." Yami said.

Cat looked at him. "What?" She asked.

"The Seal is controlling her. And only the winner can leave the Seal." Yami replied.

Cat looked at Mai and Jounouchi hopelessly. "I don't want either of them…to get trapped in that seal." She said quietly. "They truly cared for each other."

"This is just horrible." Honda added in.

They dueled a little before any of them spoke up.

"Mai! Please! Stop this! Somebody's gonna get hurt!" Jounouchi pleaded with Mai.

Mai smirked. "But that's the point, Jounouchi." She said.

"I can't…I won't lose you again, Mai! I don't want to duel you like this! We've got to stop the duel!" Jounouchi cried.

Mai scoffed at him. "Whatever. Wait are you waiting for?" She asked.

"I'm waiting for you to come back to your senses!" Jounouchi replied.

"I still can't believe that Mai would side with the enemy." Honda said.

"It's all because of the Orichalcos thing." Kristen said.

"Yes. And one of them is going to lose their soul." Yami said.

"Mai! You can't do this! You're putting your life in danger!" Cat called to Mai.

But Mai ignored her.

Yugi appeared by Yami in spirit.

"Pharaoh! There's gotta be something we can do!" Yugi said.

"There isn't, unfortunately. The puzzle is powerless against the seal." Yami replied.

"Hey! Pharaoh! Stop mumbling to yourself down there! May I remind you that nothing can break the seal! Not even a Millennium Item!" Valon called down to Yami.

"And once Mai steals your friend's soul, I'm taking yours next." Rafael added in.

Yami glared at the two.

"Oh, go back to your cage! Once I'm through with Jounouchi, Yugi's my next victim, understand?!" Mai snapped at Rafael.

Rafael looked at Valon. "I don't think I've ever liked her." He said. "Anymore lip from her, and she's next."

"Oh give her a break. She's new at this. Besides. She's kind of cute when she's mad." Valon said.

Cat looked at Yami, then at Mai, then at Valon and Rafael.

"This is bad." She whispered to herself. "Everyone seems to be after Yami."

"So are you going to make your move or what?" Mai asked Jounouchi.

"I'm not gonna duel with you, Mai!" Jounouchi snapped.

"Oh? Are you afraid you're going to lose?" Mai asked him. "Like you did in Battle City?"

"No! I'm afraid I'm gonna win! Because if I do, you're gonna lose your soul!" Jounouchi replied.

"So what?" Mai said. "The Mai you knew is gone. I traded my soul for power. The old Mai was too lonely and pathetic. So my weak side is gone for good."

"Well, I liked the old Mai better! And I'm gonna get her back!" Jounouchi said.

"Be careful, Jounouchi!" Anzu called to him.

Honda covered his eyes. "I can't watch! Not if Jounouchi's gonna lose on purpose to save Mai!" He said.

"Would Jounouchi really lose the duel on purpose to save Mai?" Yugi asked Yami.

"This isn't the first time Jounouchi has risked his life to save her." Yami replied.

"But this time, the force we're up against is too strong. We can't stop it." Yugi says.

"Don't give up hope, Yugi. We may have something that can defeat the power of the seal. Timaeus." Yami said, pulling out the card and looking at it.

Rafael looked at Yami. "If the Pharaoh thinks he can use his dragon card to get his friend out of this, then he'd better think again." He said.

* * *

"Seto…I can't seem to get a hold of Pegasus." Mokuba said as they continued to ride in the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet

They had already dueled Amelda, who was disguised as Pegasus. There, Kaiba received his own dragon card. He was one of the warriors.

Kay was very worried about her uncle. But at the same time, relieved that ther person threatening Kaiba wasn't really Pegasus.

"I had a feeling that would happen. Whoever Amelda was working for, apparently got their hands on Pegasus." Kaiba said. "And they'll be expecting me next."

"Does that mean we're just flying into a trap?" Mokuba asked.

"That's what I want them to think. I'm not afraid of danger." Kaiba replied.

He looked at his dragon card. Critius. The fang of Critius. Once he had received it from the same chamber as Yugi and Yami got the eye of Timaeus, he was able to defeat Amelda. Every card created was in Kaiba's database. All except this one. He didn't really believe the supernatural power of the card.

Shaking off his thoughts, he returned his concentration to driving the jet.

"Seto...don't talk like that. If these jerks really do have uncle Pegasus, I don't want them getting you next." Kay said, still worried. "They have to be pretty good to get my uncle."

"Don't worry. They won't be able to do a thing to us." Kaiba said.

Kay frowned a little.

"Stop trying to be so tough! We don't know what we're up against!" She said.

"It was obvious that, that "Amelda" guy was working for the same people who kidnapped Pegasus. If they're anything like Amelda, then there's nothing to worry about." Kaiba said. "We'll find Pegasus. Just trust me."

Kay looked at him and was silent for a moment.

"Alright." She said.

Kaiba smiled for a moment before turning serious again.

"We have to hurry." He said.

* * *

**Yeeeep. Double update indeed.  
And Kay's officially back! Along with Kaiba and Mokuba! Yaaaaaayyy! They had disappeared from the story for a while.  
Lol, well, see you next chappie! :D**


	26. Pegasus' Message

Jounouchi pounded his fist against the ground.  
"I...I was so close! I'll get her back!" He shouted.

Everyone looked at Jounouchi sadly.

They were unable to change Mai's mind.

During the duel, Mai had explained how lonely she was after Battle City and how the bikers reached out to her and offered her power.

Not only did that happen, but Jounouchi, during the duel, awakened the third Legendary Dragon, Hermos.

Mai was starting to act unstable and she was close to losing the duel. But Valon, who seemed to care for Mai, broke the Orichalcos Seal with a ring that had a green stone on it. The stone looked exactly like the stone on the necklace the gang had found after their first duel with the Seal of Orichalcos.

The seal blew up when it was broken and it caused Mai and Jounouchi to go unconscious.

Valon grabbed Mai and the bikers made their escape.

While the duel was still going, though, Otogi, Rex and Weevil had arrived and tried to find a way in. Just as the duel ended was Otogi able to find a way in.

Everyone continued to watch Jounouchi and hardly noticed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet that landed in front of the building.

Kaiba, Kay and Mokuba got out and started to head towards the building.

"I just can't believe I let that happen..." Jounouchi continued on.

"Jounouchi, just face it! Mai turned her back on us! She was after your soul!" Honda exclaimed.

Kaiba, Kay and Mokuba walked in.

"Oh great. What are you guys doing here?" Kaiba asked, not looking very thrilled to see them.

"Pegasus called for us." Yami answered.

"Kay!" Kristen cried.

Kay looked at Kristen.

"Ki-Ki?" She asked.

The two friends ran up to each other.

"Ki-Ki, I didn't know you followed everyone here. I thought you'd still be in Japan." Kay said.

Kristen smiled.  
"Nope. I wanted to come along too." She said.

Otogi ran in.

"Whoa! It's a party in here!" He exclaimed.

"No, it's a dweeb convention." Kaiba said.

Kay frowned a little at Kaiba. "C'mon Seto. No need to pick on them." She said.

Kaiba huffed and turned to the group of friends.

"Have any of you dorks seen Pegasus around?" He asked.

"No. We were too late." Yami replied.

"Mai got to him before we could and stole his soul with the Orichalcos thing." Honda said.

Kay looked shocked.  
"Wh-What?" She asked. "Uncle Pegasus is...and...Mai? She did that?"

Cat looked at Kay sadly.

"Yes...I'm so sorry Kay." She said. "B-But we may still be able to save him!"

Kay looked down sadly.

"I hope so. Besides my little sister, he's all I have left." She said.

"Kaiba, have you had any experience with the Seal of Orichalcos card?" Yami asked.

Mokuba jumped in.

"My bro sweeped the floor with someone who played that card! For some reason, the person was disguised as Pegasus and forced my brother to duel him at Duelist Kingdom. But we found out who he was." He explained.

"But when I won, he ran away. So we came here to find some answers." Kaiba added in.

"Pegasus told us that someone was after him and he gave us a card. He told us to guard this card with our life." Yami said and pulled out the card that Pegasus had sent them. It had a picture of a key on it. "It might be some sort of clue."

"You know...now that I think about it...there was a door that wouldn't open even after I cracked the security system. Maybe that's a key card." Otogi suggested.

Kaiba looked at Otogi.

"Okay then! Take me there right now!" He demanded.

Honda frowned at Kaiba.

"Yeah? Well who invited you?!" He snapped.

Yami walked over to Jounouchi who was still on the floor, depressed that he lost Mai.

"It'll be all right, Jounouchi. Let's go." Yami said to him.

Jounouchi looked up at Yami.

"Alright." He said and stood up.

Everyone walked into the elevator, to the floor where the locked door was.

Rex and Weevil were still there.  
"I don't like being ignored." Rex whispered to Weevil.

"Well, it might be easier if we sneak in and grab whatever's behind that door!" Weevil whispered back.

Once everyone reached the top floor, Otogi took them to the door.

"Well...here we are. Now we just need to figure out how to open the door with a Duel Monster card." He said.

Yami walked up to the door and slid the card through the card reader. Once he did that, the door opened, revealing a large, dark room.

"So...who wants to go in first?" Honda asked.

"Maybe we can draw straws?" Jounouchi suggested.

"Hmph." Kaiba huffed and walked in. Mokuba and Kay followed him along with everyone else.

"I suggest we close the door and run!" Jounouchi said.

He was ignored.

Once everyone got in, the lights turned on to reveal large statues of Duel Monsters!

They were of Pegasus' favorite Toon Duel Monsters with a large version of Toon World in the center.

"I hate toons." Kaiba grumbled.

"You hate a lot of things." Kay mentioned.

"Hey Rex. I'll betcha he has his rare cards hidden in here." Weevil whispered to Rex.

"Probably." Rex agreed.

Suddenly, a hologram of Pegasus appeared.

"Hello, Yugi-boy. I did the entire interior decorating myself. Do you like it?" He greeted.

"Again with the odd greetings." Kristen said.

"Nobody likes it." Honda mummered, answering Pegasus' question.

"Shut up!" Kay hissed.

"Anyways, if you're hearing this, Yugi-boy, then it can only mean that the people who were after me have captured me. It all started when a mysterious person tried to buy my company." Pegasus started.

"Funny. Mine started the same way." Kaiba said.

"This individual, named Dartz, possesses an ancient power stronger than I have ever seen. You're all in danger. Dartz plans on using my game to destory civilization and he must be stopped. The key to taking him down is somewhere in this room." Pegasus continued. "Ever since my retirement began, I've furthered my studies on the ancient Egyptian origins of Duel Monsters. And I have discovered that those monsters have been around even before the pyramids were built."

"In the city of Atlantis." Yami mummered.

"That is where Dartz comes in. He's trying to resurrect the most terrifying beast that ever roamed the earth. The Great Leviathan. He's doing it by draining the souls of man and beast to build up the strength of this monster. You're our only hope right now." Pegasus said. "I've created a card just for you, Yugi. And I've hidden it somewhere in this room. Think strategically...where in this room would allow you to have extra cards?"

Yami looked around and spotted the Pot of Greed. Of course!

"It's the Pot of Greed! In the game, it allows you to draw two more cards. Plus it's the only thing in here that's not connected to Toon World." He exclaimed.

Rex and Weevil ran to the pot, but Honda got their first. He reached in a pulled out a blank card.

"That card's worthless." Kaiba said.

"Yugi, you're the only one who can save the Duel Monsters." Pegasus said before the hologram disappeared.

"I can't believe this is happening! Mai has joined an organization that's trying to destory the world?!" Jounouchi cried. "They must have brainwashed her or something!"

"Hmph. I'll bet this is some hoax Pegasus is pulling. Just like in Duelist Kingdom. There's no one running around stealing souls of others with cards. I'll bet Pegasus is just trying to get a hold of my company again!" Kaiba said, annoyed.

Kay shot a glare at Kaiba.  
"Now's not the time to be a complete, insensitive jerk, Seto!!" She snapped. "Stop saying bad things about my uncle and get over yourself!!"

Kaiba looked taken a back for a moment.

"That's enough, Kaiba. It's not all about you." Yami said calmly and pulled out the "Eye of Timaeus" card. His Legendary Dragon.

Kaiba was shocked when he saw that card.

"Where did you get that?" He asked.

"Same place I got mine." Jounouchi said, pulling out the "Claw of Hermos".

"I know you have one too, Kaiba." Yami said.

Kaiba pulled his dragon out. The "Fang of Critius".

"I believe that with these three cards, we can defeat Leviathan." Yami said.

The cards started to glow.

"My mind must be playing tricks on me." Kaiba said.

"My card is doing the same thing." Jounouchi said.

"It feels as if the cards are calling out to us." Yami said.

The glow faded and disappeared.

"I was told that fate had chosen three modern-day warriors to release these legendary beasts." Yami said.

"Get real, Yugi. I'm the one who decides my own fate!" Kaiba said.

"Will you just be reasonable for once?" Yami asked him. "We have to do this as a team."

"I don't do the teamwork thing." Kaiba replied. "I've got a multi-million company to run."

And with that, he turned to leave, with Mokuba following him.

"Ahh, we don't need that Kaiba weighing us down! With Hermos, those freaks won't stand a chance!" Jounouchi said proudly.

"Well, I'm glad to see Jounouchi's back to his old self." Honda said.

"Kay...you're not going with Kaiba this time?" Kristen asked.

Kay shook her head, frowning.

"If he's going to say rude things about my uncle, especially when my uncle is in danger, then I'm not in the mood to be around him right now!" She growled.

"I'm sorry, Kay." Cat mummered.

"So...what you're saying is that actually believe all of this?" Jounouchi asked Kay.

"How can I not? Uncle Pegasus just told us himself what was going on. He's not a cruel man or anything. And he has no reason to lie to us." Kay explained. "Plus, this isn't something he would do for fun. The fact that I've seen the Orichalcos with my own eyes is proof enough as well. Trust me. I'm not as skeptic as Seto is."

"Great! So you're with us for a while!" Jounouchi raised his hand for a high-five.

Kay glared at him, arms across her chest.  
"But I'm still in a crappy mode. Don't bug me." She grumbled.

Jounouchi's grin weakened and he took a few steps back away from her, sweatdropping.

"Uh...right." He said.

On the other side of the room, Rex and Weevil searched for more duel monster cards.

"Have you found any yet, Rex?" Weevil whispered.

Rex shook his head. "Not yet! But keep looking!" He whispered back.

Kay looked over at the two.

"But, I can't help but wonder what those two are up to." She wondered out loud.

When the two boys heard this, they figured they'd better cover up.

"R-Rex! Have you found my glasses yet?" Weevil asked loud enough for them to hear.

"N-No! Not yet!" Rex replied.

"Well keep looking!" Weevil said.

Honda stood by Kay. "Oh yeah…not suspicious in anyway, huh?" He said sarcastically.

"So, what are we going to do next?" Anzu asked.

"We should go find Dartz and his goon squad and rescue Mai! That's what!" Jounouchi said with energy.

"Uh, Jounouchi. Might I point out that the "goon squad" split without leaving an address. Sorry, it's not gonna work like that." Honda pointed out.

"I think we should chill at my place and play Dungeon Dice Monsters!" Otogi suggested.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!" Jounouchi, Honda, Kay and Anzu all snapped at him.

Otogi held up his hands in defense. "I was just kidding, calm down!" He laughed lightly.

"You know…I remember that Professor Hawkins lives around here. He may have some information that could help us." Yami added in.

"But how are we going to get there?" Cat asked.

Jounouchi looked out the window and saw Kaiba's jet lifting off. "I have an idea!" He cried and ran to the window, trying to flag Kaiba for a lift.

But the jet flew off.

"Aw, man! I thought it would work!" Jounouchi pouted.

"There's two possibilities, if I know Kaiba. The first one is…he didn't see you…and the second one is…he did see you. Both end in the same result." Kay said.

"Hey, it's no problem! We can take my car! We just have to all squeeze in a little." Otogi said.

"Hey! What about us?" Weevil and Rex asked at the same time.

"What I want to know is what you two are doing here anyways?" Honda said.

The two boys laughed nervously.

* * *

It was a tight squeeze, but everyone was able to fit in somehow. Rex and Weevil ended up riding in the open trunk with the luggage.

"I can't believe it! Even after following Yugi this far, we haven't gotten any cards at all!" Weevil complained.

"But showtime is about to start! Professor Hawkins is a crazy card collector who must have lots of rare cards!" Rex said.

Anzu sat in the front seat with a map, looking at it. Honda was offering unhelpful suggestions from the beat seat.

He pointed at the man. "I think this is a nice shortcut!" He said, smiling.

"Why do you want to go to Alaska?!" She asked, glaring at Honda.

"U-Um...Honda...do you even know how to read a map?" Cat asked.

"_We've got to get Mai back. I still can't believe she'd join some evil plot to destroy all mankind. We all want to become true duelists...but it shouldn't be this way._" Jounouchi thought to himself, watching the scenery go by.

Yugi appeared by Yami in spirit.

"Based on what Pegasus said, Dartz controls a force that's ten thousand years old. Even older than you, Pharaoh." He said.

"The Orichalcos appears to be more powerful than any magic we've ever experienced." Yami said.

"It seems to be connected to Professor Hawkins' theory. I hope he can tell us what to do. But you've got to stay calm, Pharaoh." Yugi said.

"I know. But we lost Mai to our enemies. Pegasus' soul was taken and we failed to get Kaiba's help. It will be a hard task." Yami replied and looked at all his friends. "We've already lost too many thing. I'm afraid of losing more."

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine." Yugi said.

* * *

It was nighttime before everyone finally made it to Professor Hawkins' house. The ruins of it, at least.

Everyone was horrified by the ruins and started to call for Professor Hawkins. They found Rebecca instead.

On the way to Professor Hawkins' house, Yami had returned to the Millennium Puzzle and Yugi had taken over.

"Rebecca! What happened?" Yugi asked.

"G-Grandpa was kidnapped!" Rebecca cried and flung herself onto Yugi, crying.

"Don't worry Rebecca. I promise we'll find him." Yugi said, trying to comfort the girl.

Everyone gathered in the Professor's motor home.

"I wonder who would kidnap the Professor?" Kristen wondered as she made tea.

"It had to be Dartz! I know it!" Jounouchi cried.

"But why would they want to kidnap the Professor?" Honda wondered.

"It must have had something to do with the ruins he found." Otogi said.

"Yeah. They took him because he knows too much information that they don't want him spreading around." Kay said, finally calmer.

"Which is...bad for us." Cat added in.

"Wait, I have an idea." Yugi said, turning to Rebecca. "Do you still have that stone I gave to your grandfather?"

"I've been wearing it on a chain." Rebecca said and took it off, handing it to Yugi.

"Maybe that's what Dartz was after." Anzu suggested.

"I think we should just find this Dartz, break in and save the Professor." Otogi said.

"But how will we find them?" Rebecca asked.

"The Professor doesn't have what Dartz's people want, so they'll probably come back." Yugi pointed out.

"Well! If we're going to wait, I want something to eat!" Honda said, smiling.

"Hey, don't worry! I'll whip up something for us!" Jounouchi said with pride.

"I'm not eating anything YOU cook." Kay and Anzu said at the same time.

"Would it be all right if we used your kitchen?" Kristen asked Rebecca.

Rebecca nodded.

"I'll help." Otogi offered.

"Can you cook?" Jounouchi asked.

"A little." Otogi replied.

"I'll help as much as I can. As long as it doesn't include actual cooking." Cat said, looking a little sheepish.

"Why won't you help with the actual cooking?" Anzu asked.

"Because I am the worst cook on the face of the earth. Just take my word for it." Cat said, looking a little embarrassed.

"I can take a hint." Kay said. "Don't worry. I'm pretty good at cooking."

The conversation went on as everyone marched into the kitchen.

Yugi looked at Rebecca.

"Your grandfather will be all right, Rebecca. Don't worry." Yugi said.

"Thank you, Yugi." Rebecca said quietly.

Everyone got to work.

Otogi, Kay, Kristen and Anzu got to cooking while Cat and Honda set the table.

Jounouchi raided the refrigerator and came out with a mouthful of sausages.

Honda frowned at Jounouchi and kicked him in the head.

"Eat that!" He snapped.

"Ow!" Jounouchi cried. "How are ya supposed ta eat a kick in the head?!"

"Actually...I don't know." Honda admitted. "By the way, where did Rex and Weevil go?"

"I dunno. Yugi and Rebecca are gone too." Jounouchi answered.

* * *

Rex and Weevil searched through the ruins of Professor Hawkins' house, looking for rare cards.

"Hey! I think I found something!" Rex cried and pulled out a regular deck of playing cards. He sweatdropped disappointed. "Oh wait…nevermind."

"Well keep looking!" Weevil ordered Rex.

"But the old guy doesn't have any rare cards! He's just a professor! Not a duelist!" Rex said.

They sighed and took a break.

"I'm hungry." Weevil said.

"Me too." Rex agreed.

Suddenly, they heard something and whipped their heads in the direction of the noise.

It was Rebecca and Yugi! They went outside to talk.

"I'm scared...Yugi, will you really save my grandpa?" Rebecca asked.

Yugi nodded. "Of course." He replied.

"Thank you. Oh yeah, this is the card I wanted to show you." Rebecca said as she pulled out the card that landed next to her when the house exploded. It came with a note to Yugi!

The note said: "Come to Death Valley if you want to see your friend again."

"How far is Death Valley?" Yugi asked.

"It's about an hour away by car." Rebecca answered.

"Alright. But I have to go alone. I put everyone in enough danger as it is." Yugi said.

"It's not your fault." Rebecca said.

"But I'm the one they want. You'll be safer here." Yugi said. "And…could you not tell the others where I'm going? I don't want them to follow me."

Rebecca nodded.

Weevil and Rex were hiding and listening onto their conversation.

"Interesting." Weevil said.

But all four of them didn't see Cat, who came out to tell everyone it was time for dinner. She had heard everything and remained hidden.

She looked down at the ground in front of her.

"Even though Yugi's the one saying that...I just know it's Yami who's going to try and take whoever is behind this on. By himself." She whispered to herself and put a hand on her chest. "Pharaoh..."

* * *

**Okay, so...believe it or not...I had written out THREE chapters yesterday. That's right. Three.  
So today is gonna be another double update day. I was thinking about putting up the third chapter, but it's probably best to take this one step at a time. It's not exactly all that fun if I posted everything I wrote. Lol**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
See you next chappie! :D  
**


	27. Our Darkest Day

Everyone slept soundly in the motor home. Everyone except Yugi. He got up, knowing he had much to do. It was time to face the men who kidnapped Professor Hawkins.

Rebecca woke up and looked at him.

"Don't worry. I'll be back." Yugi whispered and walked outside where Copernicus, Rebecca's horse, waited, all saddled up.

As Yugi got onto the saddle, he switched with Yami, who sat up on the horse and rode away.

Cat was awake the whole time and sat up. She couldn't sleep that night.

Rebecca gasped silently when she noticed that Cat was awake.

"Y-You're awake?" She asked.

"Yes." Cat whispered back and stood up. "I know about the secret Yugi made you promise to keep." She started to walk around her friends.

"You're not going to try and go after him are you?" Rebecca asked.

"Huh? No...there wouldn't be much point. There's no stopping Yugi no-ACK!" Cat tripped over Jounouchi, waking him up.

"WHA?!" He cried as he sat up and looked around. "Cat! What are ya doin'?! And where's Yugi?!"

"I promised I wouldn't tell!" Rebecca said.

"How could ya let him leave like dat?!" Jounouchi snapped.

It wasn't long until everyone was up.

"Jounouchi! Take it easy on Rebecca!" Kay snapped.

"You would have done the same thing." Anzu added in.

"But I would have at least tried to talk Yugi out of it." Honda said.

"Oh...what is Yugi thinking? What if he gets hurt?" Kristen wondered, her face covered in complete worry and fear.

"ARGH! I can't stand it! I'm gonna go after him!" Jounouchi cried and ran out of the door with Honda following him.

"Slow down!" Honda called.

When the two got outside, they suddenly stopped.

Professor Hawkins was in front of them!  
He was making his way towards them, leaning on a walking stick. Jounouchi ran over and caught him before he fell.

"Grandpa!" Rebecca cried as she ran up to Professor Hawkins.

"Where's...Where's Yugi?" He asked weakly.

* * *

Rebecca was able to take her grandfather to bed. Outside, Jounouchi, Honda and Otogi prepared to leave.

"Hold the fort down for us while we're gone, alright?" Jounouchi told Anzu.

"Yeah, and watch out for Rex and Weevil. I don't trust those guys." Honda added in.

The three were about to leave until Cat suddenly came up.

"W-Wait!" She cried.

Otogi, Jounouchi and Honda stopped and turned to look at Cat.

"Please, take me with you." She said.

"What? No way! You stay here!" Jounouchi said.

Cat shook her head.  
"Cat, I'd like to go too. But I can't so I'm staying here. You should do the same." Anzu said, frowning slightly.

"It's way too dangerous, Cat. You should just stay here." Otogi said.

Cat looked determined.  
"Look...I know I'm weak. But...I feel partly responsible for all this. I heard that Yugi was going to leave by himself." She said slowly. "And...I should have stopped him. So...please."

Otogi, Honda and Jounouchi still looked hesitent.

Kay stepped up.

"C'mon guys." She said. "If Cat wants to help, let her. It can't hurt to have an extra hand. Surely you can understand that much."

Jounouchi sighed. "Fine. I guess we don't have much of a choice." He said.

Cat smiled.

* * *

Yami had reached his destination and things ended up turning into a no-way-out duel with Rafael.

Otogi's car sped across rocks as Jounouchi and Honda urged Otogi to hurry. Cat sat in the front seat silently.

"C'mon Otogi! I know you can go faster!" Jounouchi said.

Otogi frowned slightly.  
"Alright already! Hang on!" He shouted and floored it.

The car ended up taking air and landing safely. Otogi continued driving.

"Is everyone in once piece?" He asked.

Cat looked a little frazzled. "I-I'm fine...I think." She said and turned to look at the boys in the back. "Are you two oka-" She stopped.

"What is it?" Otogi asked.

"Um...they're gone." Cat replied.

"Huh?!" Otogi stopped the car and looked at the back seat. They were indeed empty. "Great." He mummered and unbuckled himself, grabbing some binoculars he had in his car. He started to search the desert behind him. "I told them to buckle up when we left!"

After a moment of searching, he stopped when he saw the two boys running back towards the car as fast as they could, looking a little beat up.

"Oh. There they are." Otogi said and sighed, shaking his head.

"Well...at least they'll buckle up this time." Cat mentioned, watching Jounouchi and Honda.

* * *

Back at the motor home, Professor Hawkins was sleeping soundly.

Kay looked at him tiredly. "He's got the right idea." She said quietly and yawned.

Kristen and Anzu sat next to her while Rebecca was busy doing research.

She had found a strange article about a cruise ship that sank 12 years ago and only one boy survived. He swam to an island and there, he did nothing but practice Duel Monsters. He spent three years alone.

He continued to practice Duel Monsters until he was rescued.

"His name was...Rafael! That's the guy Yugi's dueling right now! I'm sure of it!" Rebecca cried.

"Wh-What?!" Kristen gasped and stood up. "Doesn't that mean Yugi will be dueling against the Seal of Orichalcos?!"

Rebecca jumped out of her seat to run to Death Valley and Kristen almost followed her until Anzu caught Rebecca's arm.

"Relax Rebecca. Yugi can handle this all on his own. Don't worry about it." She said.

Rebecca looked down and Anzu let go of her arm.

"Alright." Rebecca said quietly.

Kristen stood there, staring at the ground, worried. She put her hands on her chest.

"_Please be safe._"

* * *

Otogi, Cat, Jounouchi and Honda continued their way to the duel. The sun was already up and in the sky.

Honda was looking at a map. "The map's wrong! There's no bridge!" He said just as they hit a bridge.

"You're starting to worry me, Honda." Jounouchi said, pointing to the bridge they were on.

They drove across the rickety bridge, but on the way, slats started to fly in all directions.  
"Hold on, guys!" Otogi said as he managed his way across the bridge.

They finally made it to the other side safely, but the bridge collapsed behind them. Cat looked at where the bridge used to be.

"Uh oh...how are we supposed to get back?" She wondered out loud.

As they continued on, they suddenly spotted the column of light from the Seal of Orichalcos, not too far from where they were.

"Th-That's the Seal of Orichalcos!" Cat cried. "Someone played it!"

"We'd better hurry!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

After a while of driving, the four finally arrived to the duel. They quickly jumped out of the car and ran to the edge of the hill. Yami and Rafael were playing on another part of the mountain. Between the four and the duel was a large crevice that used to have a bridge to cross, but Rafael destroyed it. No one could cross it.

"YUGI!" The four called out to him.

Yami turned to look at them, but didn't say anything.

Otogi, Cat, Jounouchi and Honda slid down the small hill to where the bridge had been cut down.

"Why is the seal on Yug's forehead?" Jounouchi wondered. "Doesn't it only appear if you were the one who played the Orichalcos card?"

Cat looked over at Yami.

"Oh no..." She gasped softly and covered her mouth. "He didn't..."

"How do you suppose he got a hold of it?" Honda asked.

Otogi and Jounouchi shrugged. The reason why he played it was unknown to the four. Rafael had given Yami the card earlier in their duel and pressured him into playing it. Even though Yugi tried to stop Yami. When the card was played, the seal formed around the duel and Yugi was suddenly separated from Yami.

"Hey guys! You missed the best part of the duel!" Rex said to them.

Rex and Weevil had made their way to the duel before Otogi, Jounouchi, Cat and Honda did.

Jounouchi frowned and picked up Weevil. "How did my best buddy get that freaky thing on his head?!" He damanded.

"Jounouchi! Calm down, man!" Honda cried and made Jounouchi put Weevil down.

"Yugi got the Seal of Orichalcos card from the other guy and activated it." Rex explained.

"Yugi wouldn't do that!" Jounouchi cried. "He knows that card is evil!"

The four had no choice but to watch the duel progress.

"If Yugi loses, I have dibs on the Dark Magician!" Weevil said.

"Weevil! Show some compassion for a change!" Rex said and paused. "Let me have the Dark Magician!"

Jounouchi glared at the two.

"Watch it." He growled.

* * *

Rafael kneeled down and took the Seal of Orichalcos card from Yami's Duel Disk. The duel was over. Yami lost and he was laying on the ground, unconscious.

While he was at it, Rafael also took the Orichalcos stone necklace from around Yami's neck as well.

All Jounouchi, Otogi, Cat and Honda could do was watch. Shocked that their friend had just lost the one duel he couldn't afford to lose.

Behind Rafael, a helicopter, piloted by Amelda, flew up and lowered a rope ladder down to Rafael.

Rafael then picked up Yami and grabbed onto the rope ladder.

As the helicopter flew by the four friends, Rafael tossed Yami down to them. The boys caught Yami before he hit the ground. "Keep him. We now have everything we needed from him." Rafael said before flying away with the helicopter.

"Yug! Wake up!" Jounouchi cried.

Cat stared at Yami, hugging herself with one hand over her mouth.

"I-It can't be." She whispered, tears filling her eyes.

"Yugi! C'mon, man! You're all right, right?!" Honda cried.

Just then, Yami slowly opened his eyes and began to struggle to his feet.

"Yugi!" Otogi and Honda cried at the same time.

"Aha! I knew you could outsmart dat goon!" Jounouchi said happily. "How did you do it?"

Yami didn't say anything.

"Hey...are you all right?" Honda asked.

"No..." Yami replied, tears spilling from his eyes. "It's far from all right!" He turned away. "I didn't outsmart Rafael! Yugi is gone!"

Cat's relief suddenly became shock again when she realized what he meant.

"I don't get it." Jounouchi said. "How could you be talking to us if your soul was taken?"

"Not mine." Yami replied. "Yugi's!" He fell to his knees. "Yugi! Come back! It should have been me! Not him!" He screamed and slammed his fists against the ground. "It's not fair!"

Yami's scream echoed in the mountains. Realization hit Jounouchi, Otogi and Honda as well. The tears returned to Cat's eyes and ran down her face as Yami's agony and the loss of their friend filled her mind.

* * *

Back at Professor Hawkins' motor home, Kay, Rebecca and Anzu sat outside of the motor home, waiting for everyone's return.

They perked up when they saw Otogi's car and Yami ride up.

"Yugi!" Anzu said happily and walked up to greet them. Kristen followed, smiling as well.

Rebecca smiled and ran up to Yami to hug him. She stopped, though, when she saw the dark look on his face.

There was a short silence.

"Is everything okay?" Kay asked, walking up.

"Not really." Jounouchi replied. "We've got a problem."

"Yugi didn't win...he's gone." Honda explained.

Anzu turned to face Honda.

"I don't believe it! If Yugi lost, then that creep would have taken his soul! How could he be standing right behind me if he..." She stopped as soon as she realized what they meant.

"Yugi...talk to me." Rebecca pleaded.

Yami's head hung low. "I'm sorry. Yugi's gone." He said. "They got him. I played the Seal of Orichalcos card and lost the duel. Before it took my soul, Yugi pushed me out of the way. He was on the seal and his soul was taken. It's all my fault. I unleashed the magic that took him away."

Kristen was completely shocked as she absorbed everything that Yami had just said. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Kay looked at Kristen sadly.  
"Ki-Ki..." She said and hugged her friend.

Rebecca looked horrified.

"I...I can't believe you played that card! If you really were a great Pharaoh, you wouldn't have done such a thing!" Rebecca yelled and pounded against his chest, weeping. "I should have been you! Not Yugi! Give him back!"

"Rebecca..." Anzu said calmly.

Rebecca ran to Anzu and cried against her. "Oh, Anzu!" She cried as Anzu tried to comfort her.

"Rebecca is right." Yami said. "I let everyone down. Especially Yugi. Yugi even warned me not to play the card. But I let my rage take control. And he paid for my mistake."

Jounouchi frowned and walked up to Yami, punching him, causing Yami to fall to the ground.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Jounouchi snapped, pulling Yami up by the shirt. "If we're going to rescue Yugi, we have to move ahead and not look back! Pull yourself together! What we have to do now is find out who Dartz is and where he keeps all his souls!"

"That's what I've been suggesting since day one! But nobody here listens to me." Otogi said.

Honda glared and put Otogi in a headlock.

"Stop thinking about yourself!" He snapped.

"Honda...let him go. This all happened because I couldn't control my anger." Yami said after Jounouchi released him. "And if we keep fighting among ourselves, the Orichalcos will destroy us all."

Cat didn't leave the car. She looked at everyone and their sad faces.

* * *

"So, these guys want to rule the world. We've dealt with that before." Jounouchi said.

"But it's different this time." Yami explained.

"These guys aren't just talking about wiping all life out on earth...they're doing it!" Honda said.

"Well, we know how to defeat them. All we need to do is go straight to the source and destory their weapon!" Jounouchi said.

"Do you mean that weird monster, zapper thing in the sky?" Anzu asked.

"Unfortunately, it's after more than just monsters. It's using human souls to power itself up." Kay said after a lot of things were explained to her.

"Well, right now they got Yugi. I dunno about you guys, but I'm gonna take action!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"But we can't fight it by ourselves. We need help." Cat pointed out.

"But those guys burned down Grandpa's laboratory and destroyed all his research. Without evidence, no one will believe us." Rebecca added in.

"We do have proof though. The ruins underwater." Anzu said.

Rebecca showed them her discovery on the laptop. "Look. The ruins are no longer there." She said.

Professor Hawkins walked in.

"Don't give up. I'll help you find the information you need. "He said.

"Have you discovered anything more about those thugs?" Yami asked him.

"There is a good chance that those men are descendants of Atlantis, an ancient city that disappeared into the sea, thousands of years ago without a trace." Professor Hawkins answered.

"If so, why would they want to destroy what's left of their ancestor's city?" Otogi asked.

"They must be hiding something." Professor Hawkins said. "Those ruins revealed the history of Atlantis and it's not a pleasant one. Thousands of years ago, Atlantis was home to the most advanced civilization the world has ever known. Everyone lived in peace until one day, a dreadful creature was called forth from the depths of the earth by an evil king."

Yami looked shocked.

During his duel with Rafael, Rafael had told Yami how he was an evil Pharaoh who destroyed Egypt.

"The king drew his strength from a mysterious stone. And the stone drew it's strength from another world." Professor Hawkins continued.

"Is the stone that stone they wore around their necks?" Jounouchi asked.

"I'm not sure. That's all I was able to translate." Professor Hawkins answered.

Jounouchi looked enraged.

"These guys are trying to cover up about their ancient mega-monster!" He snapped.

Otogi nodded.

"There was probably something on the ruins that told how to destory that monster." He said.

"Even though the ruins are destroyed, there are copies of the inscriptions at a museum in Florida." Professor Hawkins added in. "That's where I was doing research."

"Then I guess we need to head over there and translate the rest." Kay said.

The Professor nodded.

Jounouchi looked at Yami with determination. "Let's head to da sunshine state and find out the secret of defeating these guys and save Yugi!" He said.

"I'm with ya, buddy!" Honda said.

"One problem though." Cat said. "How are we supposed to get there?"

* * *

Kaiba and Mokuba were at Kaiba Corp. and Kaiba was on the phone with an employee. The employee told him that ever since the monsters started to appear, their stock had been plummeting and some unknown investor had bought up nearly half of their company.

"I think I know who it is." Kaiba said. "Trace those transactions immediately. I'm sure it'll all point to Pegasus." He hung up.

"I'm not so sure it's Pegasus, Seto." Mokuba said. "Could it be Amelda? He'd probably blame this company too. Besides, Pegasus' soul was captured. It couldn't have been him."

"I don't know about all that Pegasus nonsense, but you have a good point about Amelda." Kaiba said.

Mokuba looked down.

"Seto...maybe you should stop looking down at Pegasus. It made Kay really upset." He said.

Kaiba didn't say anything for a moment and Mokuba looked up at him.

"That's why she didn't come with us. You know that right." He continued.

"I know." Kaiba said.

Suddenly the phone rang and Mokuba picked it up. "It's Jounouchi." He said to Kaiba.

"Put it through." Kaiba said.

They were doing a video call and the first thing the Kaiba brothers saw, was Jounouchi's eyes. They were so close to the camera, they were huge!

"Whoa! I'm surprised you actually took my call, Kaiba!" Jounouchi said, not moving his eyes.

"Um...Jounouchi...it works better if you step away from the webcam." Mokuba said.

"Oh...right. I knew that." Jounouchi said as he moved away from the camera, revealing the whole gang clustered up. "We've found some clues on the biker punks, but we're not giving them up on them that easily. If you give us a lift to Florida, we'll fill you into some more details." He suddenly frowned. "And those jerks! They defeated Yugi and took his soul!"

Before Jounouchi could say anything more, Honda grabbed his head, trying to shut him up.

"Wait...what do you mean Yugi lost his soul?" Mokuba asked.

Jounouchi finally slapped Honda off of him.

"Er...it's nothing! Forget what I just said!" He said quickly.

"It doesn't matter. Kaiba doesn't believe in all that magic stuff anyways." Honda said.

Kaiba looked grimly at Yami's image on the video. Yami looked depressed.

Kaiba then slammed his hand against the desk and jumped up from his seat in an outrage.  
"You LOST?!" He yelled at Yami. "You handed your crown to some nobody?! Nobody deserves the title but me!"

"Hold on, Kaiba." Yami said, trying to explain his situation, but Kaiba wouldn't hear another word.

"You're a disgrace to the game, Yugi!" Kaiba snapped and slammed the phone down, hanging up.

"Seto...are you all right?" Mokuba asked.

"I'm fine." Kaiba replied. "Now I have more reason to hunt those thugs down and destroy them."

Mokuba looked a little uncertain.

"_That call isn't going to be taken well. Especially from Kay. She's probably really angry at Seto now._" He thought.

* * *

**Alright! Second update up! Kind of a sad chapter though, huh? D:  
For those who have read my old versions of Eternal Snow, you'll probably notice a huge change that I did in this revised version. It's pretty easy to figure out. :D lol**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
See you next chappie! :D  
**


	28. Please Smile for Us!

Yami sighed.

"Now what?" He asked.

Kay, Jounouchi and Honda looked very annoyed at Kaiba's actions.

"Man! I can't believe that guy!" Jounouchi ranted.

"Next time I see Kaiba, he's gonna get it!" Honda grumbled.

Kay looked angrier than ever.

"That...That...IDIOT! That insensitive, idiotic jerk! He's always thinking of himself!" She yelled, grabbing her hair in anger. "How the heck do I put up with him?!?"

She sighed and let go of her hair. "I need a moment." She growled and stormed out the door, muttering a few curse words on the way out.

Cat looked at Kristen, who still looked a little depressed.  
"Will Kay be all right?" She asked.

Kristen looked up at Cat and then at the door.

"Yeah. Give her a few minutes to cool off alone." She said. "Don't try to talk to her when she's angry. It never turns out well."

Jounouchi sighed as well. "Aw, nothin' we can do about it right now." He said. "I think Professor Hawkins should stay here while we catch the next flight."

"You're right. Traveling isn't the best thing for Grandpa right now." Rebecca agreed.

"Otogi, you don't mind staying here to watch over the Professor, do you?" Jounouchi asked.

"Sure, I'll stay." Otogi agreed.

"I'll book the flights and you guys can take the train to the airport." Rebecca said. "I just hope you guys can save Yugi before it's too late." She left the room to book the flights.

* * *

The next day, everyone was at the train station.

"I wonder how long the ride will be?" Anzu wondered out loud. "Otogi, do you want to go instead of me?"

"Nope. I'll stick with Professor Hawkins and Rebecca in case those bikers come back." Otogi replied. "I'll catch up with you guys once the Professor gets better."

"Alright." Anzu said.

"That's good, because the situation won't improve without the Professor." Honda said.

Yami recalled that Rebecca really wanted to come and help as well. But the Professor told her it was too dangerous and that the Pharaoh already had a lot to deal with; he didn't need to watch over her as well.

Rebecca started to cry and she ran back into the motor home.

Yami continued to stare at the ground in misery.

Cat looked at him sadly. She automatically reached out to touch his shoulder, but she stopped herself and let her hand drop.

What could she say?

"You guys better get on the train, or you'll miss it." Otogi warned.

"Right. See ya." Jounouchi said as everyone grabbed their luggage and boarded the train.

Otogi waved to them as the train started to leave and Jounouchi and Honda waved back.

"Alright! Time to hit the dining cart, old pal of mine!" Jounouchi said to Honda.

"Yeah!" Honda agreed.

Kay watched Jounouchi and Honda as they left their seats to find food.  
"They're like two little kids." She mummered. Kristen smiled a little.

"But they're fun to watch sometimes." She said.

Kay crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say, Ki-Ki."

Yami sat silently, staring at his lap. Anzu sat by Yami while Cat sat across from him.

There was silence before Cat stood up.

"Um, I'll be right back." She said. "I want to walk around for a little."

Once Cat was gone, Anzu sighed and Jounouchi and Honda returned to their seats with bottles of soda and bags of chips. They looked rather happy.

Anzu looked at Yami with a troubled look.

"_He's hardly said a word all day...I've got to get him to say something._" She thought to herself.

Thinking for a moment, she faked a sneeze to try and get his attention. It didn't work. She thought some more.

"The view is really nice. Take a look, Yugi." Anzu said cheerfully. Still no response.

She thought some more.

"I hear Florida's beaches are beautiful! It'll be fun to check one out if we have some time. But darn, I forgot my bathing suit!" Anzu said.

Still no response. Anzu didn't give up.

"Hey Yugi. Are you hungry? We could go get something from the dining cart if you want." She said.

There was still no response.

She finally gave up and looked at him seriously.

"Yugi...you have to cheer up. I promise we'll get Yugi back. But in the mean time, you can't just sit around moping." Anzu said.

Yami finally stood up. "Sorry." He said and walked off.

"I think he needs to be alone for a while. Nothing you can say will cheer him up right now, Anzu. Yugi's loss is too much for him right now." Kay said.

"He is alone. That's the problem. But he'll be all right soon, because we're gonna save Yugi!" Jounouchi said.

"Yeah." Anzu nodded.

* * *

Yami stood by himself in between train carts. He looked out the window.  
"How could I be so selfish? I gave into the darkness in my heart and Yugi paid the price." He said to himself before punching the train wall and sinking down onto the floor. "He's gone forever...and it's my fault." He groaned to himself.

Suddenly, one of the doors opened. Yami looked at the door in surprise and looked up at the person. Cat stood there, staring at him.

"Yami?" She asked. "What are you doing on the floor? Are you alright?!" She stepped in, shutting the door behind her and kneeling in front of him. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No...I'm fine." Yami said.

Cat sighed with relief. "That's good." She said.

Yami sat up properly and leaned against the train wall. Silence filled the room.

"Um...Pharaoh?" Cat asked. Yami looked up at her. "I know you've heard this a million times and things seem hopeless right now...but everything really will be okay in the end. We're going to save Yugi."

Yami sighed and looked back at the floor.

"I know. It's just...hard. I can't get over the fact that I was the one who sacrificed Yugi. What kind of friend am I?" He said quietly.

Cat thought for a moment.

"You're a human being. Someone who makes big mistakes and little mistakes. It happens all the time. It's a part of life." She replied. "You and Yugi are close friends. And I can understand that it must hurt a lot to accidentally sacrifice your friend. But...when we free Yugi, I know he'll forgive you."

Yami didn't raise his head. Sadness returned to Cat's face and she scooted closer to him so she was in front of his face.  
"C'mon...lift your head and smile for us." She said, gently lifting his chin up. "Everyone is working hard so we can save Yugi. They're doing this for each other and you too."

Yami listened and didn't lower his head again. Cat took his hand in both of hers as tears ran down her face. Yami looked surprised at her sudden tears.

"S-So...we have to be strong, okay? I know you're strong. You have to be one of the strongest people I know. And that's something I've always admired in you." She said, trying not to let the tears alter her voice too much. "Seeing you so depressed makes me feel very sad."

Yami blinked.

She was crying for him? All of the sudden, he felt something in his heart.

It was a feeling unknown to him. A feeling that he first felt near the end of Battle City. Why did this feeling come to him whenever he watched this small girl try so hard?

He shook off his thoughts and returned his attention to Cat's words.

"I'm...sorry." He said. "I'm sorry I've been making you cry."

Cat smiled weakly. "No, please don't worry about it." She said. "Don't worry about how I feel. Just focus on becoming happy again, okay?"

She let go of his hand and hugged him gently. This surprised Yami, but he eventually rested his head on her shoulder. Being there was a comfortable feeling. Something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

When Cat pulled back, releasing him, she laughed a little and rubbed one of her eyes, trying to wipe away her tears.

"It's pathetic, really. I'm such a crybaby." She laughed.

Without responding, he touched her cheek and wiped away a few of her tears, staring at her. Cat stopped laughing when he touched her. She blinked and was speechless for a second.

"U-Uh...Y...Yami?" She asked.

Her voice stopped Yami and he suddenly removed his hand from her cheek, eyes wide.

"Oh...I-I'm sorry about that. I spaced out." He said.

"_What...what was I doing? It's almost as if my body moved on it's own! Urgh...this isn't the time to be spacing out!_" He thought to himself.

Cat tilted her head a little and smiled.

"I see. It happens. But it's hard to imagine you spacing out, Pharaoh." She said.

Before Yami could reply, one of the doors suddenly opened. Both Yami and Cat looked up at the person standing before them. It was Kristen!

"Oh! What are you guys doing her?" Kristen asked.

"Just talking." Cat replied.

"I see. Well...there's something...weird going on." Kristen said. Cat and Yami stood up.

"What is it?" Yami asked.

"There's no one else on the train!" Kristen replied and left to go tell everyone else.

Yami and Cat looked at each other in shock and hurried out of the room.

* * *

"Yugi's been gone for a long time." Anzu pointed out and frowned a little. "And so has Cat."

"Yea...but they're not the only ones. This car is empty except for us!" Jounouchi added in.

"What?! That's not right! There were others here not too long ago!" Kay cried, a little freaked out.

Kristen ran up to them. She had explored the train.

"Guys! There's no one else around! I could have sworn there were more people!" She said worriedly.

The four ran up the stairs to the upper level of the train, only to find that no one was there!

"Whoa! There's not a soul here!" Jounouchi cried.

"Do you HAVE to say the word, soul?!" Honda asked.

They continued to look around and ended up finding Yami and Cat.

"There's something strange going on!" Kay reported.

"Yeah, that's was Kristen just told us!" Cat said.

"This whole train ride must have been another trap!" Honda suggested.

"I'll bet those slime balls are behind all this!" Jounouchi growled.

Yami frowned and ran off to find them.

"Ah! Yugi, wait!" Anzu cried and followed him. Everyone else looked at one another and followed as well.

Yami and Anzu crossed to the next car. But before everyone else could get there, the two cars disconnected!

"Pharaoh!" Cat cried. "Anzu!"

Yami reached out to Cat and she took his hand, jumping over to join them. Yami caught her and the three looked over at their other friends. It was too late for any of the others to join.

"Go get help!" Yami called to the others as they were separated.

* * *

As Jounouchi, Honda, Kristen and Kay's train slowed to a stop, they jumped out.

"Well this is nice! We're in the middle of nowhere!" Jounouchi grumbled. "And we dunno where the train that Yugi, Cat and Anzu were on, is gonna stop!"

"I guess it's just us four now." Honda said.

"Ugh. We get stuck with the "dynamic duo". Just my luck." Kay said with a hand on her hip.

"Hey! Shut up, Kay!" Jounouchi snapped as Kristen giggled.

Before anything else was said, they heard an evil chuckle behind them. They all turned around to find Rex.

He had a strange look in his eyes and he wore a dark Duel Disk.

"I have a score to settle with you, Jounouchi! You took my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" He said.

Jounouchi frowned at Rex.

"This isn't the time!" He said.

"Oh, but this IS the time! The perfect time for revenge!" Rex replied.

* * *

Yami, Cat and Anzu looked around for other passengers. Anzu was frowning most of the time. Yami and Cat were together on the train, most of the time. Plus she was brought over to this train cart as well. Anzu's friendship was Cat wasn't going to be as easy as it first started out.

After a while, they weren't able to find any other passengers. But they did find an intercom.

Cat used the intercom and tried to call the conductor, asking him to stop the train. But there was no response. He wasn't there.

They continued on until they found the engine.

"I'll climb up there. There might be a hatch on the roof so I can get in and try to stop the train." Yami said and climbed the ladder.

Yami tried to climb across the roof of the engine, but it was hard because of how powerful the wind was. But when Yami looked up, he found Weevil standing there. Grinning.

"I came here to have a rematch with the King of Games!" He announced.

Yami frowned and struggled to his feet.

"Who put you up to this." He asked.

"No one did! I just want to try out my new secret weapon!" Weevil said, pulling out a glowing Orichalcos stone necklace from his pocket.

* * *

Rex had shown Jounouchi, Honda, Kay and Kristen the same thing.

"Where did you get that?!" Jounouchi asked.

"I knew it! He's working for them!" Honda cried.

* * *

"Weevil, you've been brainwashed!" Yami exclaimed.

Anzu was partway up the ladder. "Those guys are just using you!" She cried and climbed onto the roof, struggling to stay standing.

"I don't care! Just so long as I have ultimate power!" Weevil replied.

Cat also made her way onto the roof and stood up. It was difficult to stand because of the wind.

"Don't you realize what'll happen?! If you go through with the duel, one of you has to lose their soul!" Anzu cried.

"We can't let you duel like this!" Cat added in.

Weevil chuckled evilly. "Anyways, of course I know what'll happen. I'm here to take the soul of the nameless Pharaoh! Soon he'll be locked away with his friend, Yugi!" He said.

Yami looked surprised before glaring fiercely at him. "Where's Yugi?!" He yelled.

"If you want to know, you'll have to beat me in a duel." Weevil sneered.

"Fine! I accept your challenge!" Yami said, activating his Duel Disk.

"No!" Cat cried but she was ignored.

She bit her lip. All of this just had to happen when Yami was starting to cheer up a little.

* * *

**I had fun writing this chapter for some reason. The next chapter is done too, but I'm only going to pose one chapter today. :D  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	29. A Song for You

Rex activated his Duel Disk. "I'm going to enjoy this." He grinned.

"What did you do with our friends?!" Jounouchi demanded.

"I didn't do anything." Rex replied. "Weevil is taking care of the other three. While I deal with you."

"Rex, you've picked the wrong side to be on!" Kay warned him.

"I've been given more power than you have ever dreamed of!" Rex said.

"I could duel circles around you! Now get out of the way!" Jounouchi snapped.

"I'm not going anywhere until we duel!" Rex said.

"Fine! I'll trample this geek and we can go find Yugi, Cat and Anzu!" Jounouchi said, activating his Duel Disk.

Rex pulled out the Seal of Orichalcos card out.

"Hey! Drop that card! It's evil!" Jounouchi warned him. "You have no idea what you're doin'!"

Ignoring Jounouchi's warnings, Rex slapped the card onto his Duel Disk, causing the seal to form around the two, throwing Kay, Kristen and Honda out of it's boundary.

"Argh! How many times is that stupid seal going to throw us back?!" Honda cried, sitting up.

Rex's eyes started to glow red and the seal appeared on his forehead. "Now this is what I call power!" He said.

Honda, Kay and Kristen stood up.

"Now whoever loses, will lose their soul!" Kristen cried.

"I really didn't need the reminder!" Jounouchi called back and turned back to Rex. "I refuse to duel under these circumstances!"

Rex grinned.

"You have no choice now." He said simply.

* * *

"I've improved since our last duel, Pharaoh. Don't expect to beat me so easily as you did before." Weevil said.

"Cat, Anzu, get back in the train. It's too dangerous up here...and there's no telling what Weevil will do." Yami warned the other two girls.

"B-But Yugi! You can't duel!" Anzu cried.

"She's right! You can't duel calmly right now!" Cat called out.

"Stay out of this you two!" Yami snapped.

Cat and Anzu flinched back.

Weevil held up the Seal of Orichalcos card and laughed. "Remember this? This is the card you used to lock your precious friend away!" He taunted.

Yami glared fiercely at him as he placed it onto his Duel Disk, causing the seal to form around the two.

The seal knocked Cat and Anzu off the engine. Yami cried out to them in horror as he watched them fly through the air. But luckily, they landed on the car behind. They slid a little until Anzu caught the roof's seam and caught Cat, pulling her up to the seam.

"We're all right!" She called.

"Don't worry about us! You have bigger things to worry about!" Cat called also.

Yami turned back to Weevil who laughed evilly as his eyes started to glow red and the seal formed on his forehead.

* * *

Dartz kneeled before the altar of the temple he was always in. Fire reflected in his eyes.

"The battles are underway." Dartz said.

Rafael came up from behind Dartz. "If all goes well, the soul of the Pharaoh will soon be ours." They knew that they got Yugi's soul instead of Yami's. "But whatever the outcome may be, we'll still receive two souls." He said.

* * *

"My prehistoric pets are going to walk all over you Jounouchi!" Rex said to Jounouchi.

They were half-way through the duel by now.

"Oh yeah? Well I got more talent in my left nostril than you will ever have!" Jounouchi called back.

"The Seal of Orichalcos is on my side! So I've got more power than you and your nostrils!" Rex replied.

"I didn't quite get that comeback." Jounouchi said as he played a few cards.

Kristen and Kay looked speechless at Jounouchi's "nostril" comment.

Kay sighed and frowned, shutting her eyes and placing a hand on her head. "Idiot." She mummered.

"Jounouchi has powerful nostrils?" Kristen asked, looking rather confused.

"Well...he does exercise them a lot by sniffing food." Honda added in.

"That makes sense...I...guess?" Kristen said.

* * *

Weevil cried out as he was attacked over and over by one of Yami's monsters. A magic card allowed Yami to do this. The attacks kept on coming even after Weevil's lifepoints hit zero.

Weevil fell to his knees as he was continuously attacked and the Orichalcos seal shrunk around him.

During the duel Weevil had said many things and taunts that caused Yami to become consumed by rage once again.

Even when the Seal had taken Weevil's soul, Yami kept on attacking out of anger.

"Yugi! Stop!" Anzu cried.

Cat ran over and grabbed Yami's hand.

"Let me go!" Yami ordered.

Cat shook her head, with tears in her eyes. "You can stop now! It's over...you've won and the Seal of Orichalcos is gone." She said.

Yami breathed heavily from his rage and saw Weevil kneeling on the other side of the field. Yami's rage finally subsided.

He looked down at the card in his hand, seeing the Dark Magician Girl.

"I've got a promise to keep." He said quietly.

* * *

In Dartz's temple, where he kept all his souls, two more souls appeared on the wall. Whenever a soul was captured, the person's picture would appear on the wall.

Rex and Weevils pictures appeared.

"So many souls...so little time. And the Great Leviathan is growing impatient." He said. "And I must provide him with the power he needs to awaken. And for that, I need the soul of the Pharaoh."

* * *

Yami ran up to Weevil.

"Where's Yugi?!" He snapped and shook Weevil.

No response.

Yami glared at him and picked him up by the shirt and held him up in the air.

"Where is he?! Tell me, now!" Yami yelled.

"It's no use." Anzu said.

"You won, Pharaoh...so the Seal of Orichalcos took Weevil away." Cat said.

Yami let Weevil go and fell to his knees, staring at his empty hands.

Cat rubbed away a few tears from her eyes. Yami was back into his depression. It was the last thing Cat wanted to see...

Suddenly the train started to speed out of control! It wasn't long until it derailed and flew off a cliff.

Yami, Cat and Anzu's screams could be heard as they fell.

On top of the cliff, an old man in robes looked down at where they fell.

* * *

The train that fell, layed wrecked in a river. But the three friends weren't there.

Yami's eyes popped open and he quickly sat up.

He looked around. "Am I in a teepee?" He asked himself. Looking to the side, he spotted Cat sleeping in a bed next to him. He looked to the other side to see Anzu also sleeping in another bed next to him.

Carefully, he woke them both up.

The two girls sat up.

"What? Where are we?" Cat asked.

Anzu opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly a wolf jumped on top of her!

Cat and Yami looked alarmed, but suddenly calmed down when they saw that the wolf was licking her face like a pet dog. Anzu laughed.

The wolf then jumped onto Yami, giving him a face licking as well, but he wasn't laughing.

The wolf jumped onto Cat next and did the same thing. Cat laughed a little.

"At least he's nice!" She laughed.

Suddenly, they heard a small girl's voice, calling to the wolf.

"Sky! Stop it!"

The wolf, whose name was Sky, jumped off of Cat.  
A small girl in native clothes walked up to the entrance of the teepee. "I'm sorry Sky woke you three up." She apologized. "My name is Chris. And the wolf here, Sky, is the one who found you three. It's fortunate that you're all right after falling to the ground from such a height."

By a nearby river, an old man was picking up Yami's Duel Monster cards. He picked up another one and looked at it. His face turned to surprise when he saw it was Timaeus!

But never-the-less, he continued to collect the cards and soon, was joined by Yami, Cat, Anzu and Chris.

The old man finished collecting Yami's cards and stood up, turning to the four.  
"Thank you for your help." Yami said.

"You're welcome." The old man said. "My name is Ironheart. I believe these are yours." He returned Yami's deck. "I see you have the Legendary Eye of Timaeus. Where did you get that card?"

Yami handed Timaeus to Ironheart. "I'm not worthy of it's power." He said.

"I'll hold onto it until you're ready." Ironheart said.

"Um, Ironheart...did you by any chance find another kid? One with glasses and a bad haircut? He was on the train with us when it crashed." Anzu asked.

Ironheart shook his head. "No...you three were they only ones we found. The boy probably escaped before the train crashed." He said.

"I doubt Weevil would have been able to escape in the condition he was in." Yami said. "There's probably a greater power at work."

Ironheart looked impressed.

"I've encountered many people in my travels, but there's something about you, boy, that I've never seen before." He said. "I also sense you have a great deal of loneliness in your heart."

Yami's face looked a little depressed. "I recently lost a very good friend of mine...and now I'm on a journey to find his soul." He said.

"What will you do when you find them." Ironheart asked.

"I'm going to apologize for betraying his trust and abandoning him." Yami replied.

"I think I might be able to help. Follow me." Ironheart said and started to walk in a direction. Yami, Cat, Anzu and Chris followed him.

They took a narrow and dangerous trial along the mountainside.

"I'm leading you to a place on the other side, where spirits dwell. The Stone Wilderness. My people believe that human souls exist all around us. And just beyond this mountain is a sacred valley where drifting souls are said to gather as they wander. Your friend might be there. But evil spirits are there too. Finding the soul you seek is easy. Leaving with your own is another thing. It's not too late to turn back." Ironheart explained.

"I must go. I owe it to Yugi." Yami said.

They continued to walk down the narrow path. Cat was in her own thoughts.

"_Will we really get to see Yugi there? Wasn't his soul captured by the Orichalcos? Well...I guess when you think about it, it may be possible."_

She was into her thought so much, she wasn't watching where she was walking and her foot slipped on the ledge. She gasped and cried out as she slipped. She was about to fall until Yami caught her arm, pulling her back up.

"Are you all right?!" He asked urgently.

Cat's breathing sped up as she put a hand on her chest, shaken. "Y-Yes...I-I'm fine." She replied.

* * *

"Y-You know what th-they say, Kay! Ladies first!" Honda said, carrying a soulless Rex on his back.

"No way, you jerk! You or Jounouchi go first!" Kay snapped, slapping Honda in the back of the head.

"Ow! Fine! Jounouchi, you go!" Honda cried.

"Not on your life, bud!" Jounouchi said, carrying a soulless Weevil on his back. They found Weevil while they were following the train tracks, hoping to find Yami, Cat and Anzu.

"I-If we go a-around it...m-maybe it won't b-bite." Kristen said, hiding behind Kay.

The three stood 10 teen away from a rattlesnake that looked like it was ready to strike.

"Let's go around it! Move it you two!" Kay snapped.

"I-I'm too scared ta move!" Jounouchi admitted.

"M-Me too!" Honda added in.

Kay sighed and sweatdropped.

"Men are such babies." She grumbled.

* * *

"Pharaoh?"

Yami looked up at Cat. "Hm?" He asked.

"Are you all right? You've been awfully silent since the duels...although...I, um can imagine why." Cat mummered.

They were on their way to find their friends. But when they had reached the sacred valley, Yami ended up finding Yugi. They had gotten in a duel and were able to talk a little before Yugi disappeared again.

Afterwards an Orichalcos Solder appeared and Yami had to duel that too!

Luckily he won.

But in the process, Chris, Sky and Ironheart all disappeared after getting hit by gave Yami Timaeus back before she got hit by lightening too and disappeared.

The three friends weren't sure how they disappeared. But were still saddened at the fact that Chris, Sky and Ironheart were gone.

Cat and Anzu made a small memorial for them afterwards.

Yami smiled a small smile.

"No...I'm all right. I've just been thinking." He answered.

"I see." Cat said quietly.

The three were taking a break. They were still hiking through the mountains.

Anzu was dipping her feet in a nearby river while Yami sat not too far from the river.

Cat looked around them before looking back at Yami.

"Um...I'll be right back. Let me know when we're leaving." She said before walking off and around a corner of a mountain.

Yami raised his eyebrows, wondering if it was okay to let her walk off alone like that. He sighed. As long as she didn't trip and fall down a cliff, she would be fine.

Ten minutes had passed and Anzu walked back up to Yami.  
"I'm ready to go. Are you?" She asked before looking around. "Where's Cat?"

"She left to take a walk, I guess." Yami said and stood up. "I'll go let her know we're about to leave."

Even though he was unsure of where Cat was exactly, he walked towards the direction that he saw her go.

After a while, he continued walking and looking around.

"_After she turned that corner, I don't know where she could have gone. I hope she didn't get hurt or fall._" He thought to himself.

A quiet and soft sound suddenly snapped Yami out of his thoughts.  
"Cat?" He asked and followed the sound.  
As he got closer, he realized it was singing!

_One day you, will find your light again..._

_Don't you know...? Don't let go, be strong..._

Yami blinked. The voice was beautiful. Was it really Cat?

He reached another corner and turned it, finding Cat. She was sitting on a rock, her back facing him.  
She was singing to herself while looking over the valley.

_Follow your heart, let your love lead through the darkness..._

_Back to a place you once knew...I believe, I believe, I believe in you..._

_Follow your dreams, be yourself an angel of kindness..._

_There's nothing that you cannot do...I believe, I believe, I believe in you..._

Yami stood still. He listened a moment longer until he realized that they needed to return to finding their friends again.

"Um...Cat?"

Cat stopped and jumped, looking back at Yami.

"A-AH! Did...did you...hear?" She asked, wide-eyed.

"A little." Yami replied.

Cat quickly stood up, blushing.

"Uh, I...y-you're here to let me know that we're going to leave again, right?" She asked quickly. "S-So then let's go!"  
She ran past him and back down the path she came.

Yami was about to say something, but she was already gone. He stared down the path for a while before he started to head back as well.

Was she embarrassed that he had heard her sing?

* * *

"Seto! The plane's gonna crash!" Mokuba cried as he clung onto whatever he could.

Kaiba frowned. "Wait here." He said as ran to the cockpit and started to struggle with the controls, determined to save his little brother.

As he pulled the plane up, his Duel Disk started to glow.

And just as that happened, far on the ground below, Yami's Duel Disk did the same thing. And not too far off, Jounouchi's did the same thing!

All three of their dragons appeared and carried the plane down, safely, in a field near everyone.

Everyone ran to the plane, almost not noticing that, Jounouchi, Honda, Kay and Kristen were rejoined with Yami, Cat and Anzu.

"Hey! KC? It's one of Kaiba's planes!" Kristen pointed out.

The dragons disappeared back to their owners and the plane door opened. Kaiba stood there with a soulless Amelda in his arms. He had just had a duel with him and Amelda lost…the Orichalcos took his soul.

Kaiba jumped down. "Great…the dweeb patrol again." He muttered.

Mokuba came out as well, trying to flag Roland down in one of the approaching helicopters.

"Did you duel Amelda on top of your plane?" Jounouchi asked.

"Maybe I did." Kaiba answered coldly. "Don't you have someone else to annoy?"

Kay frowned. "Seto, for once can't you just be nice?" She asked.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and Kay glared at him some more.

"Don't give me that." She grumbled. "Just when I stopped being angry at you."

"We can't all this without you, Kaiba." Yami answered. "Can you just accept your destiny and help us stop the evil?"

"If I had a dime for every time you used the word "destiny", I'd be even richer." Kaiba said.

Kay marched up to Kaiba and poked his chest. "Seto, I know you're a great guy deep down, so why can't you just swallow some of your pride and help us find our friends?" She asked.

Kaiba huffed. "What makes you think that I would help these dorks? " He asked.

Kay frowned a little again.

"Because Yugi is my friend too! And they'd probably stop asking for your assistance if you JUST helped them!" She pointed out.

Roland, running up to them cut the conversation.

"Mr. Kaiba! Mr. Mokuba! I'm glad to see you are unharmed! But I'm afraid I have terrible news!" He said.

* * *

Everyone ended up being piled in one of Kaiba's helicopters.

"Does our company now belong to Dartz?" Mokuba asked.

"I don't get it. How is one person able to buy every single share of Kaiba Corp. without me knowing about it? The network should have detected it." Kaiba said. "There's only one way I can think of...someone must have hacked into our accounts."

"But, how did they get past the security system?" Kay asked.

"We're obviously dealing with a very powerful organization." Kaiba answered.

"But sir..." Roland said.

"Save it. I'm not your boss anymore." Kaiba said.

One of Kaiba's employees spoke up.

"I'll stand by your side, sir, until Kaiba Corp. is yours once more!" He said.

"That goes for me too, Mr. Kaiba." Roland said.

"We're all with you." Mokuba said.

Kay smiled and crossed her arms over her chest, looking at Kaiba.  
"Looks like you've got yourself a good team, here." She said.

Kaiba smiled.

"Then what are we waiting for?" He asked.

"We must get to the museum and decipher those ruins." Yami pointed out.

"My team is already there and my security force will handle any unexpected guests." Kaiba told Yami.

"Sir! We're getting an emergency message on the red line!" The helicopter pilot alerted Kaiba.

Kaiba opened his briefcase and then pulled out the laptop that was inside.

"This could be just what I'm waiting for." He said.

A voice message could be heard.

"We're ready to upload the images of the undersea ruins."

Yami blinked in surprise.

"He must have made sure his team got there before Dartz did!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

Yami nodded.

"What did you expect? My bro is always one step ahead of everyone else." Mokuba smiled.

Kaiba received the data safely, but the invaders attacked the man sending it. The shouts and crashes could be heard over the link.

"At least we got what we needed." Kaiba said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Otogi, Professor Hawkins and Rebecca were on the road in the Hawkins' car, towing the motor home behind them.

Rebecca read the data on her laptop from Kaiba.

"Pharaoh, my grandfather is looking at it now." She said.

They were communicating through the computer.

"We should meet up as soon as possible." Yami said and paused. "Rebecca...I'm sorry."

"You can't blame the Pharaoh for what happened to Yugi. There's too much at stake right now for hard feelings. We're all fighting a common enemy and this data might be our only hope." Professor Hawkins said to Rebecca.

"Yes, grandfather." Rebecca agreed in a sad way.

"The quality of the images are worse than I thought. Unless we clear up the photos, I won't be able to read much." Professor Hawkins said to Yami.

Kaiba looked at the pilot.

"Set a course for Kaiba Corp. headquarters." He said.

Everyone looked shocked.

"What a minute!" Honda said.

"Dartz and his gang have surely taken over by now!" Anzu added in.

"The only way we can clean up the images in time is to use the Kaiba Corp. computers. We have no choice." Kaiba said.

"Yes. We have to stop these criminals before they make their next move. And we have no time to lose." Yami said.

"You seem more determined...you know, since you've lost your title and all." Kaiba added in.

"This fight is about much more than an championship title! The whole world's in danger!" Yami said.

"Blah, blah, blah." Kaiba taunted. "Don't you get tired of making the same speech every time you face a challenge? Stop saving the world and get a hobby."

Kay and Kristen looked at each other. Kay grinned weakly.

"Oh well. Even if Seto doesn't understand, at least he's helping us." She said.

"I guess." Kristen mummered.

"There's no helping it. That's just how Seto is." Kay added in.

"I suppose..." Kristen said and looked a little sad.

"You okay?" Kay asked.

"Just...I'm still worried about Yugi." Kristen replied.

Kay grinned.  
"Yeah and if I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a crush on him." She said.

Kristen blushed.

"Wha?! K-Kay, no! I-I, uh..." She studdered.

"Whatever, Ki-Ki." Kay said, smiling in victory.

Cat was sitting with them. She looked at Kristen.

"Has Kay always been the matchmaker type?" She asked.

Kristen looked at Cat, still blushing from embarrassment.  
"Yes. For as long as I have known her." She answered.

"We'll meet you guys at the pier, Rebecca." Yami said.

* * *

**Whoo...long chapter. But it's another double update today. :D  
Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	30. Orichalcos Soldiers

In the depths of the ocean, the Great Leviathan's eyes opened.

"Finally! After ten thousand years, the Great Leviathan is ready to return! But in order to reach his full potential, there are several more souls that must be offered." Dartz said to himself.

Rafael walked in and kneeled before Dartz.

"Take a look at the view screen. Amelda got captured as well." He said.

"Amelda is better off where he is now. Where his energy will fuel the Great beast." Dartz said and looked at the view screen as it changed to Kaiba's helicopter flying through the sky.

"The Pharaoh and his friends will be arriving shortly. I trust that you will give them a warm welcome, Rafael." Dartz said.

"I promise that the Pharaoh will not escape this time." Rafael promised.

"It's time for Phase Two." Dartz said and the wall with the view screen rose to reveal a large space with many candles set on the floor. Dartz stood up and walked among the candles.

"Each soul must be utilized so that the Great Leviathan can cross over." He said, then called out as the seal formed beneath him. "Ancient Soldiers of the Orichalcos! Locate the scattered pieces of the Great Leviathan!"

Orichalcos Soldiers appeared all over the world.

* * *

"It looks like they're here." Rebecca said as her, Otogi and Professor Hawkins watched the helicopter land at the pier.

Yami, Cat, Kay, Jounouchi, Kristen, Honda and Anzu ran out, followed by a scowling Kaiba and Mokuba.

"Take those three to the medical center." Kaiba ordered some of his men as he pointed to Rex, Weevil and Amelda.

The men nodded and the helicopter took off again.

Everyone greeted each other.

"We ran into Mai and Valon along the way. That guy really has it in for Jounouchi." Otogi said. "And Mai's still on their side."

Jounouchi clenched his fists. "Just wait till I find them!" He growled.

"Is there any word about Yugi?" Rebecca asked Yami. "We have to find him! If we don't get him back, I'll never forgive you! Besides, we need him to fight these guys."

Yami sighed.

"We all miss Yugi too. I promise we'll rescue him. But I need to pay a visit to Kaiba Corp. first." He said.

"I want to come along for tech support." Rebecca said.

"This isn't some kind of field trip, but you can tag along with you want." Kaiba said to her and turned to leave. "I don't know about you geeks, but I've got a company to save. Whoever's coming with me, we're moving now!"

"Good luck, Yami." Cat said to Yami.

Yami nodded and ran after Kaiba.

"We'd better tell the police what's going on." Honda said to Anzu.

* * *

"There's a motorcycle gang going around stealing people's souls with a magic card!" Anzu cried as her, Honda, Kristen and Cat tried to explain the situation to the cops.

The cops laughed. "These kids watch too many cartoons." One of them said.

"We're serious! These guys are trying to take over the world!" Honda snapped.

"We're telling the truth! Please!" Kristen added in.

"Does this so-called gang wear a symbol like this?" One of the cops asked and raised the bill of his hat, revealing the Seal of Orichalcos on his forehead.

The four gasped, turned around and ran. But the cop tossed a piece of crystal over their heads and where it landed, a Seal formed and an Orichalcos Soldier crawled out of the ground.

"It's the same thing that dueled against the Pharaoh!" Cat gasped.

The soldier attempted to swipe at them, but they dodged it and ran down a side alley.

* * *

Outside, the Hawkins' car and motor home were parked over a manhole.

Rebecca was working with her laptop and her grandfather, Jounouchi, Kay, and Otogi gathered around her.

"I don't know how ya did it, but you somehow hacked into Kaiba Corp's security system!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"It takes a great deal of skill to do that. I'm impressed, Rebecca." Kay said.

"It's a good thing I tagged along on Kaiba's "field trip"." Rebecca giggled and spoke to Kaiba through her laptop. "When this is over, you should let me know if you want me to upgrade your system."

"I'll think about it." Kaiba said as him and Yami ran through a series of doors Rebecca had opened for them.

They were currently inside Kaiba Corp. and had run into some real life, Duel Monsters earlier.

"I can't access the central computer. It's on a different system." Rebecca notified the two.

"I've got it from here." Kaiba said as they entered a large room with the central computer inside.

Kaiba ran up to a control panel and used his locket card to start a retinal check that verified his identity, giving him access.

He ordered the computer to shut down and reboot with the backup. He then, enters a disk that held the images with the ruins, telling the computer to analyze the images.

It wasn't long until Rebecca received the cleaned-up images on her laptop.

Professor Hawkins began to translate.

"After it's ten thousand year long slumber, the black serpent will swallow the sun and then paradise will rule once more." He translated.

"Nice work!" Otogi said.

"But...what does it mean?" Kay asked.

"The paradise must be Atlantis." Professor Hawkins replied.

Kaiba looked at an insignia on the ruins. "Where have I seen that before?" He asked himself and started to work at his keyboard. "It's the symbol of a secret financial organization known as Paradias. No one's ever seen them, but rumor has it that they control a small piece of every company in the world." Kaiba read the data he received. "Oh no! It's them! The president of Paradias is Dartz!"

Yami looked at the image of Dartz that Kaiba pulled up. He recognized him from a vision he had earlier.

"But how can the same man who fought a war ten thousand years ago, be the president of a modern corporation?" He asked himself.

Suddenly, the computer keyboards crackled with electricity and the screens started to explode!

Rebecca's laptop screen went blank.

"I've lost the link!" She cried.

"Where are the headquarters of the Paradias?" Jounouchi asked.

Rebecca looked up the address and Jounouchi memorized it, tossing the laptop to the side and ran. "I'm coming!" He cried.

"Jounouchi, wait! We need a plan first!" Honda cried, trying to stop his friend. But Jounouchi kept on going.

* * *

"Where are they coming from?!" Kristen cried.

Cat and Kristen were running from another Orichalcos Soldier.  
"I don't know!" Cat cried.

Cat and Kristen split up from Honda and Anzu to try and find more clues. But they ended up running into more Orichalcos Soldiers.

All of the sudden, Jounouchi ran past them in the opposite direction.

Cat and Kristen stopped and looked at him.

"Jounouchi! Stop!" Cat cried after him.

"You're headed straight for the zombie patrol!" Kristen cried.

But Jounouchi didn't stop.

Cat sighed and frowned a little. "Kristen, go back at warn the others! I'll follow Jounouchi and try to stop him." She said and quickly dashed after Jounouchi.

"C-Cat!" Kristen cried, but it was too late to stop her. Frowning, Kristen ran towards the motor home.

Jounouchi continued to run.

"_I'm comin' after Dartz! And I'm not leaving without Yugi or Mai!_" He thought to himself fiercely.

Cat continued to chase after him. "Jounouchi! Please, stop!" She cried.

Just then, he did stop. An Orichalcos Soldier came out of an alley!

"Maybe...we should start running again?" Jounouchi asked.

The two started to run away, but were nearly ran over by a guy on a motorcycle. The two stopped again.

"Hey! Watch out!" Jounouchi yelled after the man.

But the man ignored Jounouchi's warning and kept on going...until he crashed into the Orichalcos Soldier.

The man looked up at it in fear.

"I-I must be dreaming!" He cried and ran away.

The Orichalcos Soldier ignored the man and stepped over the fallen bike, coming after Jounouchi and Cat.

"We'll never outrun him!" Cat cried.

Jounouchi frowned.

"It's time to fight!" He said in a determined voice and ran up to the soldier and punched it in the gut.

Suddenly, it cracked and exploded into pieces.

"Wha...? Did...you...?" Cat asked, surprised.

"No...someone else beat him." Jounouchi said.

Behind where the soldier once stood, was a man on a motorcycle, his hand glowing with energy.

"It's you! Valon!" Jounouchi snapped. "You're the one who took Mai!"

"That's right." Valon said, turning his bike around and rode away. "Follow me if you dare!"

Jounouchi glared at him and quickly dashed after him.

"Jounouchi! Please come back!" Cat called after him. "You can't trust him!"

Once again, Jounouchi ignored her pleas and picked up the bike that the other biker had left when he ran away, and rode after Valon.

Cat stood in the street alone. "He can't...he's going right into a trap." She whispered to herself fearfully.

* * *

"I wonder when they'll get back?" Rebecca asked.

"They'll get back when they get back." Kay said.

Rebecca, Kay, Honda, Otogi, Anzu and Mokuba were waiting for Yami and Kaiba to return.

Mokuba paced a little and stopped, looking up. He spotted Yami and Kaiba, walking back to them.  
The two had escaped Kaiba Corp. after an encounter with Dartz.

"Hey! Seto! Yugi!" Mokuba called to them happily. "I was worried about you guys for a moment."

"We're fine." Kaiba said, stopping in front of Mokuba. "But now we know who we're after. It's time we crashed their party."

"You'd better act fast, because Jounouchi ran off to find those Paradias guys on his own." Kay said.

"We'd better get there before Jounouchi does." Yami said, worriedly.

"Jounouchi better not screw this up for us." Kaiba growled.

All of the sudden, Kristen ran up.

"Ki-Ki? What's wrong? You're all out of breath!" Kay said, looking at her friend.

"W-We...We've got bigger problems!" She panted. "Those same monsters...that you, Cat and Anzu saw in the desert are roaming the city!"

"Well then, we'd all better jump in my car and go!" Otogi said.

"Things are worse than we can imagine!" Professor Hawkins said as he walked out of the motor home. "According to the evening news, thousands of people around the world are suddenly collapsing on the streets."

"What?!" Kay cried.

"Its those monsters!" Anzu cried.

"They must be using the power of the Orichalcos to capture people's souls!" Rebecca added in.

Professor Hawkins nodded.

"Any every police officer in town is under their spell too." Kristen said. "And...Cat ran after Jounouchi."

"By herself?!" Yami asked.

"Yes. Sorry...I couldn't stop her in time." Kristen said.

"Alright. We have to battle these monsters on our own. And find our way to Dartz then." Yami said.

* * *

Cat ran through the streets, calling for Jounouchi. She suddenly stopped when she heard a motorcycle drive up from behind her.

"Jounouchi?" She asked as she turned around. But it wasn't Jounouchi. "M-Mai!"

"Where's Jounouchi?!" Mai demanded.

"One of your allies led him away! And now he's gone. I don't know where he is." Cat replied.

"Valon..." Mai grumbled to herself. "Get out of my way!"

She drove past Cat.

"Mai! Stop!" Cat cried, but she was ignored. She sighed. "She's...the last thing Jounouchi needs right now."

* * *

Everyone was now on the move in Professor Hawkins' motor home.

"We're less than a mile from Paradias headquarters." Rebecca said, working on her laptop.

"We'll have our company back in no time!" Mokuba said to Kaiba.

"I'm not so sure. We're dealing with an extremely powerful organization and it's going to take everything we have to bring them down." Kaiba said.

* * *

Cat sat on the sidewalk, leaning against a lamppost.

"I'm lost." She muttered. "I'll never find Jounouchi now." She sighed and looked up, suddenly facing an Orichalcos Soldier looming over her.

She let out a cry of terror and jumped back, knocking the lamppost over. When she tried to run, she tripped over the fallen lamppost, hitting the ground in front of the soldier.

All of the sudden, a car pulled up. It was Otogi! He slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting Cat, knocking everyone in the motor home, which was connected to the car, over.

Everyone jumped out to see what was going on.

"Guys, look! It's Cat! And she apparently has an unwanted guest!" Otogi cried to them and pointed out Cat.

Yami became alarmed and whipped out a card, summoning it, before the monster could attack Cat.

The Celtic Guardian rushed over and destroyed the Orichalcos Soldier.

Everyone ran to Cat's side.

Cat took a deep breath. "Thank you so much, Yami." She said.

Yami helped her up.

"You're welcome. I was afraid what might have happened if it took your soul." He said.

"Where's Jounouchi?" Kay asked.

"I couldn't catch him. He jumped on someone's motorcycle and chased after one of Dartz's henchmen." Cat explained.

"Was it Valon?" Otogi asked.

"We have to find Jounouchi before it's too late!" Yami said.

Suddenly, Kaiba activated his Duel Disk. "We've got bigger problems." He said.

Everyone looked around. Orichalcos Soldiers surrounded them!

They were coming out of every doorway and alley possible!

The Orichalcos Soldiers started to close in on the gang.

"Maybe we can outrun them!" Rebecca suggested.

"I've already tried that." Cat said.

Yami suddenly ran up to one of the Orichalcos Soldiers, activating his Duel Disk. Kaiba joined him.

Kay and Cat looked at each other and frowned in determination. They ran back into the motor home for a minute before coming out with their own Duel Disks.

Cat had received her own Duel Disk as a gift from Yugi/Yami, Kay, Jounouchi, Anzu and Honda sometime after Battle City.

Kay joined Kaiba and activated her Duel Disk. Kaiba looked at her in confusion. Kay grinned at him. "You really think I'm going to let you fight these things without me?" She asked.

Kaiba stared at her for a moment before returning the smirk. "I didn't expect you to." He said. "I'll let you fight along side me, only if you don't lose."

"Hah! What makes you think that'll happen?" Kay asked, ready to fight.

"Hmph. I have high expectations for you in this fight." Kaiba said.

"Bring it." Kay replied.

Cat also joined Yami's side, activating the Duel Disk.

"Cat, what are you doing? This is too dangerous!" Yami said. Cat shook her head.

"I'm going to help you. It's one of the reasons why I came with you guys to America. I wasn't much help in Battle City...and I hated it. But this time, I'm going to prove that I can fight." Cat explained. "Yami...in Battle City, you faced a lot of Rare Hunters alone. Even though both me and Yugi were there, you were the one dueling. Whenever possible, I want to be next to you, helping you fight."

She gave him a small smile.

Yami blinked and returned the smile. "Alright then. Let's do this!" He said.

Cat nodded once.

Yami and Cat were back to back with Kay and Kaiba.

"Seto! Kay! It's too dangerous!" Mokuba cried.

"There's nothing dangerous about a bunch of holograms!" Kaiba said.

Kay rolled her eyes.

"Um...I don't think they're holograms, but okay."

Yami and Kaiba summoned their Legendary Dragon cards! Timaeus and Critius!

Cat summoned the Dark Magician Girl and the Magician's Valkyria while Kay summoned the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

The five monsters hovered above the street and started to destroy the Orichalcos Soldiers.

A few started to advance onto Anzu, Kristen and Rebecca, but the Blue-Eyes White Dragon quickly destroyed them. Kay ran up to the three.

"Are you guys okay?" She asked.

"We are now." Anzu said.

Kaiba watched calmly as Critius stomped on the Orichalcos Soldiers.

Mokuba looked around.

"That's all of them." He announced.

The five monsters returned to their owner's decks as everyone gathered back together.

Otogi and Honda ran back to everyone from else where.

"Where were you two?" Kristen asked Otogi and Honda.

"We tried to lead those things away." Otogi replied.

"By running really far." Honda grinned.

Kay frowned at the two boys.

"Idiots." She said.

Kaiba then turned and started to walk away.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Kay called to him.

"We have to stick together!" Anzu said.

"If you think just because I helped chase off some holograms, I'm now a part of your little pep squad, you've got the wrong idea." Kaiba said and turned around. "Adios. It's been a real blast."

"Would you at least help us find Jounouchi?" Yami asked.

"Use your heads." Kaiba said and continued walking. Mokuba followed him.

"Oh, that's it!" Kay growled and followed after him, calling over her shoulder. "I'm going to follow him! You guys carry on without me, alright?"

"There's a simple way to find that loser if you think about it!" Kaiba called to them one last time.

"Oh! I get it!" Rebecca exclaimed. "We can use the satellite system to track Jounouchi's Duel Disk!"

She ran back into the motor home.

"We need to access your company's tracking system!" Yami called to Kaiba. But he was ignored.

"Come back! I know you can still hear us!" Anzu called after Kaiba as well. But he continued to ignore them.

"Let him go." Honda said.

Inside the motor home, Rebecca was trying to hack into Kaiba Corp's satellite system while her grandfather watched.

"I hacked into his system once, I can do it again." She said.

She entered in a password and it came up as an error.

"What will we do if Rebecca can't crack the code and track down Jounouchi?" Kristen asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Otogi said.

"We have to have a little faith." Honda said.

Yami looked at his Timaeus card.

* * *

**Yeah, I'm trying to get through the Waking of the Dragons/D.O.O.M saga. I've gone through it a lot faster than my old version though. And that's a good thing. Anyways, the Waking of the Dragons/D.O.O.M saga will be over in a few chapters.  
So I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	31. Day of Fate

Rebecca was having a hard time trying to hack into Kaiba Corp's satellite system.

She tried another password, but it still came up as an error.

"I wonder if she's having any luck?" Honda asked, standing outside of the motor home.

"You've asked that five times." Anzu said.

"You're the one who told us we have to have faith." Otogi pointed out.

"Hey, get off my back." Honda said. "Jounouchi's in trouble and if we don't move fast, things could get worse."

"Honda, it's all right." Anzu said.

"It's all my fault. When me, Kay, Kristen and Jounouchi were separated from the others, he told me about his plan. I should have talked him out of it then." Honda said, remembering what Jounouchi told him while him and the girls were walking down the railroad tracks. "What was I thinking? How could I let Jounouchi do this?"

"Jounouchi's got a mind of his own." Cat said.

"I just hope he's using it." Yami mummered.

After a while of working, Rebecca was finally able to get in!  
"Well done!" Professor Hawkins said. "What does it say?"

"I can't wait around anymore! Jounouchi needs our help! And he needs it now!" Honda said, frustrated.

"Chill." Anzu said.

"Anzu's right. Without Kaiba's tracking system, we have no hope of finding Jounouchi." Otogi said.

"Jounouchi might be losing his soul as we speak!" Honda cried.

"Should we go?" Kristen asked.

"We should wait a little longer. We have to give Rebecca a chance to find him." Yami said. "Until then, I have faith that Jounouchi can take care of himself."

Rebecca came to the door of the motor home. "I found Jounouchi!" She announced. "According to the readout, he's not far!" She held the map out to Yami.

Yami took the map and read it.  
"Alright, I'll track him down."

"You're not going alone." Honda said.

"He's right!" Cat agreed.

"We're all in this together." Anzu said.

"Thank you everyone." Yami said. "Alright. Let's go!"

Rebecca cleared her throat loudly.

"You need to stay here." Yami told Rebecca and then turned to Otogi. "Keep an eye on Rebecca and the Professor until we get back."

"Hey, wait!" Rebecca cried and was about to protest more, but Professor Hawkins stopped her.

"We need your talents back here." He said.

"As soon as Jounouchi's safe, we'll find Yugi. And I promise Yugi will be all right." Yami said to Rebecca.

"Go kick some butt!" Otogi cheered to them.

Yami, Cat, Kristen, Honda and Anzu took off.

"Yugi will be back soon, safe and sound. I believe in the Pharaoh and you should too." Professor Hawkins said to Rebecca as they watched the five go.

Rebecca didn't reply.

"_Rebecca's having a hard time forgiving the Pharaoh for what happened to Yugi. She must think he'll be tempted by evil again. We'll just have to hope she's wrong._" Professor Hawkins thought to himself.

* * *

Kaiba, Kay and Mokuba were at a car dealership, trying to find transportation.

"I like the red sports car." Mokuba grinned.

"Wow, Mokie. Nice choice." Kay grinned as well. "To bad it's not blue though."

"That's fine. We don't have much time to shop around." Kaiba said.

Mokuba beamed and go into it. Kaiba and Kay followed.

"It's time to pay Dartz a visit." Kaiba said.

Kay sat in the front seat next to Kaiba and looked over to the driver's window. She immediately looked freaked out at what she saw.

"What the?!" She cried, jumping back.

The car salesmen's face was planted against the window. He didn't look happy and Kaiba remained the way he was, not even looking at the salesman.

"What are you doing in the car?!" The salesman asked.

"We're buying it." Mokuba answered from the backseat.

Being silent, Kaiba whipped out his checkbook and twirled his pen before writing out a check.

"Keep the change." Kaiba said, handing it to the salesman and drove off.

"H-Hey! Come back!" The salesman cried and looked down at the check. "F-FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS?! SETO KAIBA?!"

"This beats taking the bus." Mokuba said.

"You said it." Kay agreed, grinning. "It beats walking too."

Mokuba laughed.

"Yeah!"

"_I have a feeling Jounouchi's in trouble again. But I don't have time to bail that chump out. I have bigger things to deal with._" Kaiba thought to himself before stepping on the accelerator.

* * *

"JOUNOUCHI!"

The five continued to look for their friend, calling for him.

"I could have sworn that, that Orichalcos thing was activated right here!" Honda said.

"Yeah...so why isn't it here now?" Anzu asked.

"Unless we're too late." Kristen said.

"Let's hope not." Cat said.

"Hang on Jounouchi..." Yami said silently and the five ran off again.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Mokuba asked as they stood before the army of Orichalcos Soldiers.

"We exterminated these oversized cockroaches." Kaiba answered and activated his duel disk.

"I agree." Kay said, activating hers as well.

The two both summoned Blue-Eyes White dragon and ordered them to attack.

The Blue-Eyes White dragons attacked and wiped a bunch of them out…but then more Soldiers materialize in their place.

"How are you supposed to get rid of these things?" Mokuba asked. "When you smash them, they come right back!"

"If at first you don't succeed…" Kaiba started.

"Blast 'em with your Blue-Eyes again!" Both Kaiba and Kay said at the same time.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragons attacked the Soldiers again, but again, more came!

An Orichalcos Solider snuck up behind Mokuba and grabbed him.

"AHH! SETO! KAY! HELP!" He cried.

"Mokie!" Kay cried.

Kaiba quickly summoned Critius and the dragon destroyed the Orichalcos Soldier holding Mokuba, plus some others.

But they still came.

"I won't give up!" Kaiba growled.

The two ordered their dragons to attack again.

* * *

After the long search, the five finally found where Jounouchi's duel took place only to find that everything was over. The five looked at Jounouchi and Valon in shock.

"He lost the duel!" Yami exclaimed. "His soul belongs to Dartz now..."

Jounouchi had dueled Valon and won that duel. But Mai came right as Valon lost the duel and challenged Jounouchi to a duel. Jounouchi lost the duel to Mai, giving up. Mai then broke free from the Orichalcos and realized the wrong she had done. She tried to save Jounouchi from the seal, but Jounouchi pushed her out of the seal before it took his soul away.

Mai held Jounouchi and wept before setting him next to Valon and heading out to face Dartz for what he had made her do to Jounouchi.

Everyone gathered around Jounouchi.

"Jounouchi! Please say something!" Cat begged.

"I don't think he can." Yami said.

"Then...it's true." Kristen said sadly.

"The Orichalcos took his soul." Anzu said, sinking to the ground.

"When I get my hands on the person who did this, they'll wish they were never born!" Honda growled and kneeled before Jounouchi, tears running down his face. "Wake up!" He placed a hand on Jounouchi's shoulder.

"I wonder who did this. By the looks of it, it wasn't Valon." Kristen said as she looked at him.

"Jounouchi must have defeated Valon. And then Mai showed up...she might have done this to him." Cat said, tears in her eyes.

Yami nodded.

"But there's only one person we can really blame for all this. He hides in his fortress while other's do his dirty work. Well not anymore." He said frowning and ran off.

"Wait!" Anzu called as she helped Honda lift Jounouchi.

Cat quickly dashed after Yami.

"Dartz, this all ends now!" Yami said to himself quietly.

He made it to the building and stood in the empty foyer. Cat caught up with him.

They heard Dartz's laughter. "I've been expecting you!"

Yami and Cat ran to the elevator and the door opened.

Mai was standing there!  
But suddenly, she fell into Yami's arms, unconscious.

"Mai!" Cat gasped.

"Mai must have been in a duel and lost." Yami said.

"Poor Mai." Cat said with a sad look.

Yami set Mai up against the wall and the two walked into the elevator.

"I must put an end to this." Yami said to himself.

The elevator rose to the roof level where they were greeted by Rafael.

"It's about time you showed up for our rematch." He smirked.

"I'm here to see Dartz." Yami said as he moved Cat behind him.

Rafael remained silent.

"Is Dartz so much of a coward, that he sent you to do his battle's for him?" Yami asked.

Rafael stepped forward. "You owe me something, Pharaoh." He said before tossing Yami a card. It was Jounouchi's Hermos card!

"You defeated Jounouchi?" Yami asked.

"It was Mai who beat Jounouchi. And then I defeated her." Rafael explained.

"Why? Wasn't Mai on your side?" Cat asked.

"I never trusted her. And it turns out I was right. After she took Jounouchi's soul, she turned on us." Rafael said.

Yami held onto the Hermos card, his hand trembling.

"This madness has to stop!" He growled. "Think of how many innocent lives have been destroyed! You may be next!"

"I don't care. I made a commitment to Dartz. To help him save the planet from people like you and that girl behind you. If keeping my promise means giving up my own soul, so be it." Rafael said. "Even if I'm taken, I'll be doing my part. By giving the Great Leviathan the strength it needs to restore peace to the world."

"Wake up! Can't you see that Dartz is just using you for his own selfish needs?! If you really want to save the world, you should stop fighting me and join me!" Yami said.

"As soon as the Great beast is revived, your side will no longer exist. And all it needs is one more strong soul." Rafael said. "Even as we speak, the Great Leviathan lurks in the shadows all over the Earth. And as soon as I defeat you, your soul will be offered to the Great beast, giving it the strength it needs to fully cross over to our world."

* * *

Honda, Anzu and Kristen continued to carry Jounouchi, trying to follow Yami and Cat.

Suddenly a car pulled up behind them.

"Whoa...that's a nice car." Honda said as they stopped.

"Great...it's the dork-fest again." Kaiba grumbled from behind the steering wheel. "What happened to Jounouchi? Did baby need a nap?"

"That's not funny, Kaiba." Anzu said, glaring at him.

"Oh no!" Mokuba cried and ran behind the front of the car.

"What is it, Mokie?" Kay asked.

Mokuba pointed down an alley, which was full of rats with glowing red eyes. They were running straight towards them!

Anzu, Kristen and Honda shrieked like girls and Jounouchi started to slide of Honda's back, but Kaiba caught him with one arm.

"Get moving, geeks!" Kaiba ordered.

The three ran to a fire escape and climbed up it.

Mokuba, Kay, Kristen and Anzu hauled Jounouchi's body over the railing while Honda and Kaiba leapt up and caught onto the railing, just as the rats got beneath them.

"I smell a rat...and his name's Dartz." Kaiba grumbled.

* * *

"Dartz opened me up to the truth and made me what I am today. You're just jealous because you don't have one of these." Rafael said and held up the Seal of Orichalcos card.

"You can't tempt me with that card again." Yami said.

"I wasn't planning on it." Rafael said and walked to him. "But you can have one last look at it as you shuffle my deck."

"I know what you're trying to do." Yami said as they shuffled each others decks. "And it won't work. I won't give into my dark side."

"We'll see about that." Rafael said.

"I must stay true to my heart, no matter what you try to do." Yami said.

Rafael returned to his side of the field and the duel started.

Half-way through the duel, Rafael smirked and played a familiar card, the Seal of Orichalcos card.

"No! Please don't!" Yami called to him, but it was too late.

Lightning flashed around them. "Your fate is sealed, Pharaoh." Rafael said as the seal formed around the two. Rafael's eyes glowed red and the seal formed on his forehead.

The seal knocked Cat back.

"Cat!" Yami cried.

Cat struggled to her feet. "I-I'm fine! Don't worry about me!"

* * *

Kaiba, Mokuba, Kay, Kristen, Honda and Anzu finally made it to the Paradias building.

They spotted Mai lying by the elevator. "She lost her soul too." Kay said sadly.

"Who's carrying her?" Honda asked.

* * *

Everyone arrived to Yami's duel with Rafael. During the duel, Rafael was able to conquer the darkness in his heart, but he lost the duel.

But when he lost...the seal just disappeared. It didn't take Rafael's soul!

Everyone ran up to Rafael.

"What happened to the seal? Doesn't it usually put on a big, green laser show?" Anzu asked.

"It usually takes someone's soul...but I'm still here." Rafael said.

"I have a theory. The Seal of Orichalcos is powered by the darkness within the person who plays it. But Rafael was able to conquer that darkness, so his soul was spared." Yami said.

Suddenly the building started to shake.

"Is it an earthquake?" Honda asked.

"I'm afraid it's much worse than that!" Yami said.

The whole building was shaking and cracks started to appear on it's walls!

"Pharaoh! You and the others need to get out while you can!" Rafael warned Yami.

Suddenly the roof split!

"It's too late!" Kay cried, staggering.

"And there goes our ride down!" Kristen cried as the elevator collapsed.

"MR. KAIBA!"

Everyone looked up to find one of Kaiba's helicopters flying overhead.

"We're saved!" Honda cried.

The helicopter landed on the helicopter pad one level above them.

Everyone rushed to it; Kaiba, Mokuba, Anzu, Kay, Kristen and Honda with Jounouchi went first.

Yami slowly made his way to the helicopter with the weakened Rafael. Cat helped Yami.

But before they could reach the top, the staircase broke loose!

Everyone called to them worriedly as the staircase began to fall away from the building.

As that happened, the helicopter pad itself split open.

Roland balanced wildly with one leg, managing to jump back to one side.

"Mr. Kaiba! We have to leave now!" Roland cried.

Hearing this, Rafael pulled himself from Yami and Cat and heaved them up over the edge onto the helicopter pad as the staircase crumbled away.

Luckily for Rafael, he was able to hang onto the edge of the building as the last of the stairway fell.

Yami kneeled down.

"I won't leave you!" He cried.

Rafael pulled something out of his pocket and threw it up to Yami.

"If you're planning to take out Dartz, you'll have to!" Rafael called up to him.

The pad started to collapse closer and closer to the helicopter.

"We have to go!" Roland cried as he jumped into the helicopter.

Kaiba jumped in as well and the helicopter rose as the pad crashed away beneath them.

Yami reached out to Rafael. "Take my hand!" He said.

"No! Go while you can!" Rafael ordered him and the edge he was clinging to broke off. He fell into the dust of rubble.

"RAFAEL!" Yami and Cat cried.

The helicopter came around to Yami and Cat. It had a rear ramp open.

Anzu and Kay reached out to them.

"Jump!" They both yelled.

Yami took a hold of Cat and jumped onto the ramp, moving to the inside.

The ramp closed and everyone watched the building collapse as the helicopter flew away.

When the building finally collapsed it exposed another building.

"It looks like some sort of strange ancient temple." Kay said.

"My guess is that, that's what Paradias headquarters really looks like." Honda said.

"I think there's more to Dartz than meets the eye as well." Yami said.

He looked down at the object that Rafael threw to him and held it out to Kaiba.

"Take a look at this. It's some sort of computer chip."

Kaiba took it and slipped it into his PDA. After a second, a map appeared on it's screen.

"To where?" Mokuba asked as he looked at the screen.

"To Dartz's lair." Yami answered.

Kaiba tossed the PDA to Roland, who was still freaked out.

"Follow that map." Kaiba ordered.

Suddenly, another helicopter appeared behind them...and then another!  
They soon became surrounded!

"Wow...isn't this a lovely turn of events." Kay said sarcastically.

Mokuba looked out the window at one of them. One of them gestured to them, pointing ahead.

"I think they want us to follow them." Mokuba said.

"It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice." Kristen said.

Kaiba's helicopter followed the other helicopters.

* * *

Down in the city, the Hawkins' car and motor home was speeding through the streets, Otogi at the wheel. Rebecca sat beside him.

"Slow down!" She cried.

The car then screeched to a stop.

"What's your problem?!" Rebecca asked Otogi.

"See for yourself." Otogi said, not turning to look at her.

She looked out the windshield and spotted an Orichalcos Soldier in the middle of the street!

"Step on it!" Rebecca cried.

Otogi was about to…until more Soldiers appeared, surrounding them.

Rebecca jumped out of the car, activating her Duel Disk. "It's time for Plan B!" She said.

She was about to face off the Soldiers…but then stopped.

The Soldiers that surrounded Rebecca and Otogi suddenly dissolved into glowing streaks, which flew into the sky.

All over the world, the Soldiers flew home.

* * *

**Guess what? Another double update! I may start doing double updates for a while because I already have some chapters pre-written. I guess on some days, I get into a writing spree. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
See you next chappie! :D**


	32. Walking in the Light

The gang's helicopter flew over the ocean, toward an aircraft carrier.

After landing on the deck, everyone met with a uniformed officer.

"I tracked you down because I need your help dealing with a worldwide threat. We think our only hope may lie in a card game." The man said.

"You're right. Someone is using the game of Duel Monsters to wipe out the Earth." Yami said.

"Who better to stop this menace than the Duel Monsters experts?" The officer said.

"So you're asking us to do your job?" Kaiba asked.

"We've been following Dartz around for months. But he leaves no evidence behind. With no proof, we can't do a thing. Dartz is no ordinary criminal. With out you guys, we have nowhere else to turn." The officer explained.

The carrier they were on approached an island. The island was shrouded in darkness and lightning flashed around it.

"This is as far as I can go. From here on, you're on your own. I wish you good luck." The officer said. "You're doing a great service."

"I'm doing this to save my company." Kaiba said in a grumpy tone.

"That may be, but if you can beat Dartz at his own game, you'll be saving a lot more than your company." The officer said.

Everyone got back onto Kaiba's helicopter.

"Move out" Kaiba told Roland.

The helicopter powered up and they headed towards the island.

The helicopter bounced around in the storm.

Mokuba ended up getting thrown into Honda, knocking him to the floor clutching his crotch as his eyes watered.

Kaiba was seated at the side, using his lapel radio to tell his pilot that they should have been there by now.

"It's the weather, sir!" The Pilot told him. "We can't see a thing out here!"

"Stay calm! Dartz wants us to reach him." Yami said.

Just then, the storm clouds parted and the island with its temple became visible to them.

"There's no turning back now." Yami said.

"Let's go." Kaiba said.

The helicopter landed in the island outside of the temple and they jumped out of the helicopter, heading towards the steps.

"We've arrived at the heart of evil." Yami said.

"Do you always have to be so dramatic?" Kaiba asked as they walked into the temple's main hall and into the altar room, with its three open-mouthed serpents.

"I'm not too fond of the snake look." Anzu said.

Kaiba looked disgusted. "Can't you guys wait outside?" He grumbled.

"We all must stick together." Yami said.

Honda looked around and stopped when he saw the carvings of the captured souls in the wall.

"What's with all the people chiseled in stone?" He asked.

"They're not just any people!" Kristen exclaimed.

"There's Mai!" Cat cried.

"And Weevil!" Yami said.

"This must be everyone who lost their soul!" Kay exclaimed.

Yami then spotted Yugi's soul on the wall. He ran to it.

"Too bad your friends turned out to be a bunch of stiffs!"

A ball of flame appeared before them and it slowly turned into Dartz.

"Due to the carelessness of my employees, I'm the only one left." Dartz said.

I want my company back!" Kaiba snapped at him. "So can the small talk!"

"We all want something. I want your souls for my wall. I even have a spot picked out." Dartz said with an evil grin.

Beside Yugi, two clear spots were ready for new souls.

"The party tricks don't scare me!" Kaiba said.

"Dartz! Release our friends!" Yami demanded.

"It's not possible. Their souls are already in use, supplying life energy to the most powerful beast that ever lived. My ten-thousand-year old collection is almost complete. Once I get the Pharaoh and Kaiba's soul, the beast can rise." Dartz said.

Yami reacted in an angry horrified way.

"If you have been collecting souls for all these years, how many lives have been destroyed?!" He cried.

"Millions." Dartz replied. "Look around!"

The floor and walls lit up, revealing the entire interior covered with soul plaques.

"Since it's taken me ten millennia to complete, it's quite the history lesson." Dartz said.

"Look! All their clothing…they're all from different places!" Kristen pointed out.

"And from different times…" Cat added in.

"This...is freakin' sick!" Kay cried, looking around at all the people on the wall.

"Ever since the Great Leviathan was laid to rest, I've been gathering the energy necessary to refuel its rebirth." Dartz explained.

"That's junk." Kaiba said.

"So then duel me. And I'll make a believer out of you, Kaiba." Dartz said.

Dartz walked towards them, a dark Duel Disk appearing on his arm.

"Fine. I accept! We should stop talking and start dueling!" Kaiba said, activating his Duel Disk.

"You can't duel Dartz alone! This lunatic is far too dangerous!" Yami told Kaiba.

"That's fine with me. I'll duel you together." Dartz said. "And get two souls for the price of one."

Yami activated his Duel Disk as well and the two males inserted their decks at the same time, ready to duel.

* * *

The duel ranged on for a very long time.

Within this time, Dartz had shared the history of Atlantis, how this all started and how he was the ruler of Atlantis. After that, he had played Mirror Knights on his side of the field. Everyone found out that the Mirror Knights were the souls of their friends! Yugi, Jounouchi, Mai and Pegasus!

Dartz warned them that if they attacked the Mirror Knights and destroyed them, then their souls would be gone forever. Everyone was horrified by this and Yami couldn't bring himself to attack them.

But Kaiba believed they were only holograms and wasn't afraid to attack them. But the Knights proved to be stronger than they thought.

Since the Knights were the souls of their friends, Yugi and Pegasus were able to talk to Yami and Kaiba, even if their movements were controlled by Dartz.

While this was happened, Rafael showed up. He had survived the fall and rescued the soulless Mai, bringing her with him to the island where Dartz was.

Dartz re-awakened the darkness within Rafael which caused Rafael to lose his soul.

Later, Mirror Knight Yugi convinced Yami to attack them and destroy them. Yugi assured him that they would be fine.

After the Mirror Knights were destroyed, Kaiba's life points ran out and he lost his soul to Dartz, much to Mokuba, Kay and everyone's dismay.

Although Dartz soon knocked out everyone except Yami so he could duel the Pharaoh alone.

* * *

Meanwhile…in some otherworldly place, bubble floated through space, each with a person trapped inside.

Jounouchi was in one of them.

His eyes slowly opened and he looked around. "I've had some weird dreams, but this one takes the cake!" He cried and looked around some more before he spotted a great eye in the distance, where the bubbles seemed to be floating towards.

"Hold on! I remember being trapped in a duel…but how did I end up floating around in here?" He asked himself.

"Jounouchi!"

Jounouchi looked over and spotted Yugi in another bubble nearby.

"Long time no see! I'm glad you're alright!" Yugi said with a smile.

"Do you call this alright?" Jounouchi asked. "If we don't escape soon, we never will! "Now…where are we?"

Then he stopped and noticed other duelists trapped in other nearby bubbles. There was Valon, Amelda and Mai. Then Rafael and Kaiba!

"Everyone here has had his soul captured. This must be where the Orichalcos spits you out after you lose a duel!" Jounouchi cried and freaked out. "C-calm down! M-maybe this is all just a dream!" He tried to calm himself down.

"I'm afraid this is no dream." Yugi said.

Jounouchi tried to call out to the other duelists, but then he started to cough. "Whoa…why can't I exert any force?" He asked.

"It's the eye…it's using up everyone's energy." Yugi explained. "And things are about to get worse."

Up ahead, the bubbles were getting sucked into the eye.

"That's the Great Leviathan. It's using souls for power." Pegasus said as he sat in a bubble nearby.

"AWW! I DON'T WANT TO BE TURNED INTO SOUL FOOD!" Jounouchi cried.

"We can still get out of this mess if the Pharaoh defeats Dartz." Yugi said.

"But how is he going to do that? Rich Boy's with us now…that means da Pharaoh is facing Dartz alone now!" Jounouchi said.

"Kaiba may have been knocked out of the fight, but the Pharaoh's not alone. He's still got all of us." Yugi said. "We may not be right beside him, but that's never stopped us before!"

"I wonder if that will work this time. Dartz is playing by a whole new set of rules, and nothing can take down that Orichalcos card." Jounouchi wondered.

"There is one thing that can help…that card I gave him. It can beat Dartz. It was during a trip to Egypt that I was inspired to create Duel Monsters. After I made an astonishing discovery; ancient kings and sorcerers once performed dark rituals to conjure real monsters. These creatures were believed to have lived in a universe parallel to ours, and guarding the gateway to this dominion of the beasts were three Legendary Dragons; Timaeus, Critius, and Hermos. These dragons weren't what they appeared to be. They were buried with a dark secret, so I created a card that unlocked the mystery." Pegasus explained.

"What's the secret?" Yugi asked.

"I spent many years scouring the globe trying to find out. First, I searched the microscopic world, then I scanned the vast reaches of the entire universe. But other than one stone tablet buried in the sands of Egypt, there was no record of the existence of these dragons. Then it dawned on me. What if these dragons weren't dragons at all? What if they're humans?" Pegasus said. "During the battle of Atlantis, Dartz transformed three brave knights into dragons in order to weaken them. Now, the Pharaoh must restore them to their original form, before the trapped souls disappear forever!"

* * *

As the duel continued on, everyone was still knocked out cold.

Dartz was starting to convince Yami that he was an evil Pharaoh and that he should give up.

It was starting to work. Yami was starting to lose hope and came very close to surrendering.

Yami was starting to believe that he truly was alone and Dartz ordered the seal to take Yami's soul. But suddenly, the Millennium Puzzle repelled the Seal of Orichalcos.

While Dartz was confused as to how the seal was repelled, Yami explained that what Dartz had said to him, forced him to gaze inside his heart. And when he did, he found no darkness that Dartz spoke of.

After this happened, Yami was finally back to normal and he played the card Pegasus gave him.

The card turned Timaeus, Critius and Hermos into their true forms as humans.

It wasn't long until Dartz had lost the duel. But he escaped afterwards.

Before disappearing, the three Legendary Knights called back the "Chosen Duelists". The Chosen Duelists were Jounouchi, Yugi and Kaiba.

Jounouchi and Kaiba got their souls back and Yugi's soul returned to the Millennium Puzzle.

Kaiba opened his eyes and sat up, spotting Mokuba and Kay lying unconscious beside him. He shook them both by the shoulder.

"Wake up!" He said.

Mokuba and Kay then both slowly opened their eyes and sat up.

"Seto!" Mokuba cried with tears in his eyes and hugged his brother.

"S-Seto! You're back! D-Don't scare me like that again, y-you jerk!" Kay said with tears in her eyes, a few rolling down her cheeks.

Kaiba smiled a little at Kay.

It wasn't long until everyone else woke up as well.

"Whoa! Kaiba's back!" Honda said as Anzu sat up.

"Where are we, again?" Anzu asked.

Yami stood with his back to everyone, watching a vortex of light that appeared where Dartz disappeared.

Everyone stood up.

Kristen walked towards Yami. "Is that Yugi?" She asked.

"No...it's the Pharaoh." Honda answered.

"I don't think so." Anzu said. "I think he's back!"

Just then, he turned around to look at them. It was Yugi!

Tears came to Kristen's eyes. She ran up to him and hugged him. Anzu did as well.

"It's so good to see you again!" Kristen cried.

Yugi laughed a little.

"It's great to see you guys again too." He said with a smile.

Cat approached everyone, crying from happiness.

"I'm so glad that you guys are okay." She said.

Jounouchi then ran in. "Everyone get outta my way! Where's my little buddy?!" He asked and ran up to Yugi and hugged his head. "Man! I sure missed this spiky little head!"

Anzu laughed.

"Everyone's back." She said.

Honda joined the hug, pulling Cat with him to make her join too.

"Don't forget us!" He said.

Yami appeared in spirit form and greeted Yugi. "The Legendary Knights set you free." He said.

"Does that mean you beat Dartz?" Yugi asked.

"I did, but as soon as the duel ended, Dartz disappeared into a vortex. I have a bad feeling the worst is yet to come. But at least we'll face it together." Yami said.

"If these guys were set free, I would guess that everyone else Dartz captured was set free as well!" Mokuba said.

"Guess again." Jounouchi said, pointing to Rafael who was still lying there, soulless. "All the other people are still trapped."

"Then Dartz didn't uphold his end of the deal." Cat said.

Roland then ran in. "Mr. Kaiba! Come outside!" He cried and everyone followed him out. They all saw something huge rising out of the sea. It had a green beam shooting up out of it.

"It's Atlantis!" Kay cried.

The island city rose from the water and continued to rise into the air.

"Are you sure it's Atlantis?" Honda asked.

"It's a big ancient city-looking thing, rising up out of the ocean. That fits the bill." Jounouchi said.

"That must mean Dartz is still out there!" Yugi cried.

"Could he have awakened Leviathan?" Jounouchi asked.

"I don't know what the deal is, but I'm going up there to find out!" Kaiba said.

"Tell us all about it when you get back!" Honda said.

"I'm going too." Yugi said.

"Not there!" Jounouchi cried.

"But how?" Kay asked.

"Maybe you can go by helicopter." Mokuba suggested.

"You're all nuts!" Honda exclaimed.

"You just got back and now you're going to walk into Dartz's hands again?" Anzu protested. "Walk away while you have the chance!"

"There are still people trapped on the other side who are counting on us." Yugi said.

"Well...you're...right." Anzu reluctantly agreed.

"It's all right. I promise we'll be back soon." Yugi said.

Roland was listening to a report from the helicopter.

"A massive hurricane is headed for the East Coast!" He cried.

"I'm going up to find Dartz." Kaiba said and turned to go back into the temple.

"Wait up!" Yugi called.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling this on my own." Kaiba said.

Jounouchi then pushed Rafael, whom he was carrying, onto Honda and ran after Kaiba. "Don't think you're getting all the credit for this!" Jounouchi shouted.

"Don't you have someone else to annoy?" Kaiba asked him.

"Nope." Jounouchi replied simply.

Yugi then ran after the other two.

"Wait!" Kristen called.

He stopped. "What is it?" He asked.

"Yugi...good luck. Don't forget your promise to come back soon and go defeat Dartz!" Kristen said.

Yugi smiled at her and nodded before taking off again.

"We're here if you guys need us!" Honda called to them.

Mokuba started to follow but Kay stopped him. "Seto will be fine." She said. Mokuba stayed silent for a moment and stared longingly after them.

"Alright." He said.

Cat stepped up next to Mokuba.

"I know how you feel. But they'll be okay. We gotta believe in them." She said, smiling.

Mokuba smiled a little.

* * *

"The Great Leviathan is gone...it's over now." Yugi said.

After a long battle, Yami was finally able to defeat Dartz and the Great Leviathan, thus returning Dartz to normal. Not only that, but Yami was also able to conquer any and all darkness within him.

Now that the Great Leviathan was defeated, everyone's soul that was captured by the Great Leviathan was now released and returned to their bodies.  
Mai, Rafael, Amelda, Valon, Weevil, Rex and Pegasus. And everyone else.

Yami was next to Yugi in spirit form, sitting on the ground, exhausted. They spotted Dartz lying on the ground. A bright light formed before him and Ironheart, Chris and Sky appeared.

Dartz looked up at them, surprised. Earlier in their battle, when Dartz was telling everyone about Atlantis' history, he mentioned how Ironheart was his father.

Ironheart and Chris helped Dartz sit up.

"My daddy is back!" Chris said with a smile.

"And he has the Pharaoh to thank." Ironheart said. "He drove out the evil force that controlled Dartz."

"I knew that deep down, Dartz was a noble ruler." Yami said.

Dartz smiled.

"He's a great father too!" Chris added into Yami's comment.

"Pharaoh...your work here is complete and you may go in peace." Ironheart said.

Yami and Yugi looked over their shoulders to see the portal that would return them home.

"What about Ironheart and the others?" Yugi asked.

"They'll be all right. For the first time in centuries. Let's go home." Yami said.

The two friends stood up and walked to the portal.

"Daddy, we should go too. We have a lot of catching up to do." Chris said to Dartz.

Atlantis then started to descend back into the sea, raising a huge wave as it hit the surface.

Kaiba ran out of the temple. "Mokuba!" He called. "Start the engines of the helicopter! We have to get out of here!"

Jounouchi was right behind Kaiba, panting for air from all that running.

"But we can't leave without Yugi!" Kristen cried.

Kaiba and Jounouchi looked back at the temple. Yugi didn't hadn't followed them.

"Time's running out!" Mokuba called.

"Yes. We can't wait." Kaiba agreed.

Jounouchi tried to run back to the temple, but Honda grabbed him around the waist and stopped him.

"I'm not leaving without Yugi!" Jounouchi snapped.

"We have to trust that he found a way out on his own!" Honda said.

"YUGI!" Jounouchi shouted, frustrated.

Once everyone was in the helicopter, it took off and Dartz's island sunk into the sea.

"Good riddance." Kaiba said to the island.

"I hope Yugi wasn't in there." Cat said.

Jounouchi sat there, hanging his head and Anzu stared sadly into space.

"I hope so too." Kristen said.

* * *

On a small deserted island, Yugi layed there, unconscious on the shore.

A voice called his name, telling him to wake up. Yugi opened his eyes and sat up.

"Where am I?" He asked.

Yami appeared next to him in spirit.

"It seems we've washed up on shore. But I wonder how. Someone must have guided us." He answered.

An aurora then glowed in the sky above them and the Dark Magician Girl with the three Legendary Knights appeared before them.

"We are forever in your debt." The Dark Magician Girl said. "You've saved the human world and mine as well. My world can once again flourish and the Legendary Knights can continue to protect their land."

"I'm just glad we could help." Yugi said.

"Thank you...you fought bravely." Timaeus said.

"You two will never be forgotten." Hermos said.

"For as long as the Knights reign." Critius added in.

"We couldn't have done it without you three. In the face of ultimate darkness, your courage sparked a light so strong, it will burn for all eternity." Yami said.

The three Knights nodded to each other and then flew away into the light.

"The time may come around when we'll need each other again. If so...you know where I'll be. Right in you deck!" The Dark Magician Girl said with a wink and flew away.

Above, the Kaiba Corp. helicopter flew overhead.

Anzu looked out the window at the lights where the Dark Magician Girl and Legendary Knights flew off to.

"Those weird lights are back." She said.

Jounouchi looked out the window and spotted the three Legendary Knights and the Dark Magician Girl flying away.  
"That explains why." He said.

"They must be going home." Cat said. "Now that their world is safe again."

Jounouchi pulled out his Hermos card and it dissolved in his hand. Kaiba also pulled out his Critius card and it also disintegrated.

He smiled. "No big deal. My deck is still unstoppable." He said.

Kay looked at him. "Ego hasn't changed, eh?" She asked.

"Hey guys! Look! It's Yugi!" Kristen cried as she looked out the window.

"It's him!" Honda exclaimed as he looked out the window as well.

Soon enough, the helicopter landed on the small island and Jounouchi was the first to run out.

He ran up to Yugi and head locked him. Jounouchi was full of grins and he laughed dumbly. "I'm never letting this spiky head out of my sight!" He laughed as he noogied poor Yugi.

"J-Jounouchi! That hurts!" Yugi cried.

Everyone surrounded Yugi.

"Is it really over?" Anzu asked.

"We're safe now." Yugi said to all of his friends.

From the door of the helicopter, Mokuba, standing with Kaiba and Rafael, called out to Yugi and the others.

Jounouchi ran back to the helicopter.

"I'm sure there's someone else trying to take over the world back home!" He said.

"You know...the scary thing is, Jounouchi's probably right." Honda said.

Cat shuddered.

"Ugh...after all of this, I don't even want to think about it." She said.

Yugi looked behind him to find Yami standing on the shore in spirit form. He was staring out to the sea.

"_We may have stopped Dartz, but the Pharaoh's not done yet. Now he has to pick up where he left off before all this craziness started. The biggest adventure of all is still ahead and it won't be over until he unlocks the secrets of his past. Maybe then, his spirit will finally be able to rest. But no matter what the Pharaoh has to face, he won't do it alone._" Yugi thought to himself.

* * *

**Yes. Veeeeerrrrryyyy long chapter indeed. I guess this is the longest chapter I've posted so far in this story.  
Anywho, I hope you enjoyed it. It's the end of the Waking of the Dragons/D.O.O.M/Doma saga! Whee.  
Lol, see you next chappie! :D**


	33. To Talk about Feelings

It had been two days since Dartz had been defeated and everyone was still stuck in America without a way to get home.

Kaiba and Mokuba had left them there so they could go and take care of some business. Kay decided to stay with everyone else. She just wanted to relax. After their whole adventure, she was in no mood to work.

So everyone was doing their own thing.

Professor Hawkins' car and motor home was in a forest area and that's where everyone stayed.

Yugi and Kristen explored the area, Honda and Jounouchi were eating, Otogi was ignoring them, Cat was sitting against a tree and listening to music, Kay, Rebecca and Anzu sat outside talking and Professor Hawkins did his own thing.

"So, Anzu. I know you like Yugi, but which one?" Rebecca asked.

"What?" Anzu asked.

"Which Yugi do you like more? The regular Yugi or the Pharaoh?" Rebecca asked.

Anzu thought for a moment.  
"Well...if you can keep a secret, I actually like the Pharaoh more. He's stronger and more brave." She answered.

"Great! Then you and I don't have to worry about being rivals! I like the little Yugi and you like the Pharaoh." Rebecca smiled as she got up and walked off.

Anzu was in thought for a moment. In that time, she imagined herself and the Pharaoh together. She blushed at the thought.

Kay sat there, silently sipping her drink through a straw, staring at Anzu suspiciously before standing up and going to find Cat.

When she found her, Cat almost looked like she was asleep with her headphones on.

Kay snatched her headphones. "You awake?" She asked.

Cat opened her eyes. "Yes...why did you take my headphones?" She asked.

Kay sat next to her.

"I just wanted to talk." She said simply.

Cat turned off her mp3 player.

"About what?" She asked.

"Oh...you know. Just about random things. Duel Monsters, the future, music, movies...the Pharaoh..." Kay listed and grinned.

Cat eyed Kay suspiciously.

"The Pharaoh?" She asked.

"He seems to be pretty popular among some people here." Kay said, holding her straw up to her lips in thought. "And yet he seems to treat you pretty well."

"He does that with everyone." Cat replied. "He's a very kind person."

"Well...how he treats you isn't the same. It's almost as if he's always protecting you or something." Kay said.

"He only treats me that way because I'm Luna's ancestor and Luna is connected to his past. On top of that, he's my friend. What more reason do you need?" Cat said.

Kay didn't look satisfied.

"So? I'm his friend and I'm connected to his past. Yet he doesn't seem very protective of me. At least, not anymore protective of me than he is with everyone else except you." She said.

Cat stared at her friend a moment longer.  
"Kay...are you implying something?" She asked.

Kay rolled her eyes.  
"And why would I do that?" She asked sarcastically.

Cat sighed.

"Kay, love is out of the question. Yami just doesn't seem like the type of guy to fall in love." She said.

"I wouldn't say that. If he was capable of falling in love with your ancestor, Luna, then I'm positive that he's perfectly capable of falling in love presently." Kay said and took a sip from her drink.

Cat didn't respond. She wasn't sure how to respond to that.

Kay smiled again.

"And what about you?" She asked.

"Me?" Cat asked.

"Yes, you. How do you feel about him?"

"H-He's a great friend."

"Uh-huh. And that's why you are always following him and such, right?"

"I-Is that a problem?"

"No, of course not. Just watching you makes me feel like you may like him."

Cat blushed.

"Wh-Wha...?" She cried.

"Just by watching you, it would give people the idea that you may like the Pharaoh." Kay said. "So, I'll ask again. How do you feel about him?"

Cat continued to look embarrassed.  
"A-All these questions...I don't know!" She said.

Kay grinned and leaned up against the tree. "Ah, I smell a possible romance blooming." She said.

Cat blushed some more, not responding. She frowned at her friend.

"Y-You don't know that!" She said.

Kay laughed and stood up. "Well, I can guess, can't I?"

"W-Whatever." Cat mummered.

"Exactly. And trust me. I have a nose for these kind of things. Just look and Yugi and Kristen! Even you can't deny there's something there." Kay said. "Anyways, I'll leave you to your music."

And with that, Kay walked off.

Cat remained still for a moment and sighed, placing her headphones back on her head and turning her mp3 player back on.

She closed her eyes again and couldn't help but wonder...how DID she really feel about Yami?

The thought haunted her mind until bedtime.

* * *

_The wind of Egypt swirled around two figures standing in the desert sand._

_"I...I just can't shake off this feeling that you're going to leave soon." A girl who looked just like Cat, said._

_Was the girl Cat? Or Luna?_

_Yami stood in front of the girl. His skin was tan and he wore the clothes of Egyptian royalty. The girl in front of him was wearing similar clothes. _

_He smiled a little._

_"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." He said and stroked the girl's cheek with his hand._

_The girl held his hand against his cheek and stared at him. Worry obviously still in her eyes. Yami smiled again and pulled the girl into a secure hug. During this hug, he placed something around the girl's neck._

_Once they pulled back the girl looked down at the necklace. "A cartouche?" She asked._

_  
"Yes. It has both of our names on it. It's my eternal promise to you." Yami said. _

_The girl looked up at Yami, smiling. She looked as if she was going to cry._

_"Thank you...so much...I'll treasure it always." She said, blushing a little._

_Yami stroked the girl's cheek again and leaned in towards her, pulling her to him. The girl shut her eyes and their lips were about to meet._

Cat gasped as her eyes shot open. She quickly sat up, looking around the room. It was the middle of the night and everyone was still sleeping soundly and she could hear Jounouchi, Honda and Otogi's snoring.

She sighed and rubbed her forehead.

The dream she just had was exactly like the dreams she used to have when her grandmother first gave her the silver cartouche. Only this time...the dream was much more detailed and more vivid. The mysterious man in her dreams before had been replaced by Yami.

And the girl in her dreams...was it her? Or Luna? She couldn't figure it out.

Sighing again, she laid back down and shut her eyes, hoping for a peaceful sleep.

* * *

It was morning.

Jounouchi was sprawled across the bench seat besides the table in the motor home. Otogi and Honda were sleeping in bunk beds, all snoring away.

Suddenly, the loud clanging of a wooden spoon against a metal frying pan was heard.

"Wake up everyone! It's morning!" Rebecca cried happily, clanging away.

Jounouchi woke up immediately, falling off the sofa, crying out in surprise.

Otogi sat up too quickly and hit his head on the bunk above him while Honda just sat up, wide-eyed.

Anzu, Kristen and Kay came to join the smiling Rebecca.

"All you guys do is eat and sleep." Anzu said with her hands on her hips.

"And your point is?" Jounouchi asked in an irritated voice.

"What's for breakfast?" Otogi asked.

Jounouchi yawned.

"Wake me up when it's chow time." He said and laid back down, intending to go back to sleep.

Kay frowned and took the wooden spoon away from Rebecca, hitting Jounouchi with it.

"She said wake up!" She snapped.

"YOWCH!" Jounouchi cried and sat up. "What was that for?!"

"Like I said. No sleeping. It's morning for goodness sake!" Kay said, waving the wooden spoon at him.

Rebecca paused and looked around.  
"Where's Yugi?" She asked.

The spot he was sleeping in was empty.

"He took off." Jounouchi simply answered.

"I hate it when he does that." Honda groaned.

* * *

Yugi walked along a path through the woods, stopping at the edge of the lake to stretch.

"Finally! Some peace and quiet!" He said.

Yami appeared next to Yugi in spirit form. "We needed this." He said.

"Yeah." Yugi agreed.

Then, a look of concern took place on Yami's face.

"Something on your mind?" Yugi asked.

"It's just that every time we restore peace to the world, it seems that a greater evil is waiting for us." Yami answered.

"Look on the bright side. Every battle we fight together brings us one step closer to finding the secrets of your past." Yugi said and pulled out the three Egyptian God cards they were able to retrieve from Dartz.

He held them up.

"They're finally back in our deck. It's time to pick up where we left off. As soon as we get back home, we'll go back to the history museum and get some answers."

Just then, Rebecca, Kristen and Anzu came to find Yugi. They called out to him and Yami disappeared back into the puzzle.

Yugi turned to greet his friends when suddenly, Rebecca flung herself onto Yugi, knocking the poor guy to the ground while Anzu twitched furiously. Kristen looked at the two and sweatdropped.

"I was more worried about you than Anzu was!" Rebecca said happily, nuzzling Yugi.

"Thank Rebecca...uh...I think." Yugi said. "Can we get up now?"

Anzu tried to fake a smile but was still twitching. "Come on you two lovebirds...everyone's waiting." She said through clenched teeth.

They headed back to the motor home where a picnic table was set out with breakfast on it. Jounouchi and Honda were practically drooling over the food.

Anzu, Kristen and Rebecca sat down and Yugi stopped, realizing something.

"Hey...where's Cat?" He asked, looking around.

"What? Don't tell me she ran off too!" Jounouchi cried.

"Well, she'll show up when she shows up! Until then, let's eat!" Honda said reaching for something before Anzu slapped his hand.

"We have to wait for Cat to return!" She snapped.

Honda pouted, rubbing his hand where it was smacked.

"Should we go look for her?" Otogi asked.

"No, just wait." Kay said.

After a couple of minutes, Cat returned back to the camping spot. "Hey guys!" She said with a smile but stopped when she saw Jounouchi and Honda glaring at her. She sweatdropped. "Um...did I...hold something up?" She asked.

Jounouchi jumped in her face.  
"Yeah, ya did! Breakfast! The most important meal of the day!" He snapped as Cat hunched up her shoulders, looking a little frightened.

Honda jumped in her face from the other side.

"That's right!" He agreed with Jounouchi.

"Where were you anyways?" Jounouchi asked.

Cat held up her hands, looking a little spooked, her shoulders still hunched up defensively. "I-I was just taking a walk..." She said quietly, four sweatdrops forming on her head.

Jounouchi and Honda were about to say something more, but were stopped by Kay and Anzu, punching the boys in the head.

"Stop being mean to Cat!" Kay snapped.

"If you want to eat, then go sit down already and stop acting like little kids!" Anzu snapped as well.

A large bump grew on each of the two boys' heads. They held their heads in pain with tears in the corners of their eyes. "Yes, Ma'am." They both said at the same time.

After a while, everyone was eating.

"You know what Professor? You make a mean dish of pasta!" Jounouchi said.

"There's a lot more where that came from if you want to stay." Professor Hawkins said with a smile.

"Thank you, but we should be getting back home." Yugi said politely.

Rebecca looked horrified.

"How can you leave when we haven't even gone out on a date yet!" She asked.

"I agree…but not about the date thing. It is too soon to leave." Otogi said.

"Yeah, we should stay and relax for once." Honda agreed.

"Hey! If every meal is like dis, I'm movin' in with the Professor!" Jounouchi said with a grin.

"It is kind of nice here." Anzu said.

Before Yugi could say anything, the phone inside the motor home started to ring.

"Excuse me for a moment." Professor Hawkins said as he walked inside of the motor home and answered the phone. "Hello?"

There was a pause. "What?!" He asked in shock to the person on the other end of the phone.

"Yug, tell us one good reason why we should go." Jounouchi said to Yugi.

Yugi only looked down and mummbled.

Cat, who was sitting next to Yugi spoke up, "I know what it is. He needs to get back to help the Pharaoh." She said.

"Oh yeah. I understand now." Honda said.

"Yugi has more important stuff to deal with." Anzu added in.

Then Yami appeared beside Yugi in spirit. "I've waited three thousand years to find out about my past. I don't think another day or two will hurt." He said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked.

Yami nodded. "I understand we need some rest from all this, so take your time." He said.

Yugi smiled.

"Thanks." He said as Yami disappeared back into the puzzle.

Yugi turned back to everyone.

"Well, alright. We should stick around a little longer." He said with a smile.

"I call dibs on the lounge chair!" Jounouchi cried happily.

"I claim the hammock!" Otogi added in.

It wasn't long until everyone was lounging by the lake.

"Don't you guys ever get tired of being tired?" Anzu asked Jounouchi and Honda.

"That's why we need a nap." Jounouchi said simply.

Rebecca was snuggled up next to Yugi at the water's edge, hugging his arm.

"Don't you think this is so romantic?" She asked, smiling.

Yugi just fidgeted uncomfortably.

Anzu frowned at them. "That's enough vacationing for me." She grumbled.

Cat sat by the lake in the shade of the trees. Kay was sitting next to her.

"So. Have an answer for me yet?" Kay asked.

Cat shook her head.

"But...what about you?" She asked.

"What about me?" Kay asked.

Cat hugged her knees, looking at her friend.  
"Don't you like Kaiba?" She asked.

There was an odd silence at that moment as a light blush came to Kay's face.

"Why...do you think...that?" She asked slowly before shaking her head. "H-Hey wait! I'm the one who's supposed to be asking the questions, not you! Nice try though."

Cat shrugged a little.  
"Well at least I got my own answer from you." She said.

"Shut up." Kay mummered and glanced back at the camping spot, noticing the empty hammock. She grinned and stood up. "Well, I'm going to head back. Just wanted to see if you had an answer for me. Now if you'll excuse me, Otogi abandoned a hammock that's calling my name."

She ran over to the hammock and jumped in a little before Otogi came back.

The two started to bicker a little and Cat laughed lightly as she watched them.

Her smile faded a little as she returned to her thoughts. Yami appeared in her mind and something strange happened.

She felt her heart skip a beat and her face heat up a little.

"Wh-Wha?" She mummered quietly and touching her cheeks. "Oh dear..."

Could she really be drawn to the Pharaoh?

* * *

**Guess what? Another double update! Yaaaay!  
Like I said in yesterday's updates, it'll probably be double updates for a while. :)  
Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
See you next chappie! :D**


	34. The KC Grand Championship Awaits!

"By the way guys...when is your flight home?" Otogi brought up this question that caused everyone to raise their heads, wide-eyed.  
Everyone's relaxation faded as they took in Otogi's comment.

"Pegasus flew us here...and we can't afford a flight home!" Jounouchi pointed out.

"Why didn't you think of this before?!" Honda asked Jounouchi, horrified.

"It didn't occur to you either, Honda!" Jounouchi snapped.

"Now what?" Yugi asked.

Kay pulled out her cell phone, grinning. "Don't worry! I'm sure if I ask uncle Pegasus for a ride, he'll lend us one!" She said and dialed the number.

Everyone waited patiently.

After a while, Kay tried all of Pegasus' numbers and he wasn't available. Kay sweatdropped as she closed her cell phone. "S-Sorry guys...I think he's busy or something."

Everyone sighed miserably.

"Yay! That means Yugi gets to stay with me!" Rebecca said happily.

"Don't count on it." Anzu said, frowning.

"I guess all you guys have to do is try Pegasus again later. I'm sure he'll stop being busy after a while." Otogi said.

"It sounds like that's all we can do." Kristen agreed.

Just then, a sudden wind blew through the trees and everyone looked up to see a Kaiba Corp. helicopter just landing in their meadow.

It wasn't long until Mokuba and Roland stepped out.

"Looks like you guys could use a life." Mokuba said with a smile.

Everyone nodded eagerly.

"Alright. I'll give you a ride...but...there's a small catch. IN exchange for the door-to-door service, you'll have to enter my brother's new dueling tournament." Mokuba said.

Everyone soon sat at the table to discuss it.

"Have you guys heard of our new theme park?" Mokuba asked.

"Well, duh. It's only been in every paper." Rebecca said.

"Then you probably know it's about to open and Seto wants to kick things off with a bang." Mokuba continued.

Kay rested her head in her hand.  
"Hm...I remember Seto talking about that. So he's starting it this soon, huh?" She mummered.

"Seto expects to see you all right away." Mokuba said.

"Whoa, hold on a moment! You might wanna try asking us first! Kaiba's not the boss of me!" Jounouchi said.

"But since we can't get home without him, he does seem to have the upper hand." Honda pointed out.

"But Kaiba should have the decency to come and ask us for himself." Otogi said.

Mokuba looked a little guilty.

"My brother is really busy right now. In fact, he's so wrapped up in his job, he won't even be participating in his own tournament." He explained.

"That doesn't seem like Kaiba." Yugi said.

"I think Kaiba's just afraid of getting his butt kicked in public again! One more humiliating defeat and his reputation would really be shot!" Jounouchi said with a grin.

Mokuba slammed his fist against the table.

"That's not fair!" He insisted. "My brother can't duel! He has too much to do! Why don't you try opening up a chain of amusement parks! It wasn't an easy decision for him to make!"

"Don't worry, I understand Mokuba." Yugi said.

"Jounouchi, why do you always have to go and say something stupid like that?" Kay said, frowning. "Of course Seto's busy! He practically always is! I'm almost surprised that he's been able to duel at all!"

Jounouchi looked a little guilty.

"Well...maybe I did get carried away." He mummbled.

"Anyways, I'm ready to get down to business. We're inviting the top-ranked duelists from all over the globe to battle each other for a shot at the World Championship title. But to do that, we need the World Champ." Mokuba explained and looked at Yugi.

Yami appeared next to Yugi in spirit form and Yugi turned to him. "Should we really do it?" He asked.

Yami nodded and Yugi turned to look back at Mokuba.

"Count me in." He said.

"If Yugi's in, so am I." Jounouchi said.

"Me too!" Rebecca jumped in. "Where ever Yugi goes, I go! Besides, I'm the U.S champion. I'm qualified to enter."

"I was told to invite you three." Mokuba said before looking at Kay. "You're invited to join the tournament too, if you'd like."

Kay thought for a moment.

"Hmm...nah. Not this time." She said.

Everyone looked shocked at her answer.

"Wh-whoa! Did I hear that right?" Jounouchi asked.

"I thought you would more than excited to join." Yugi said.

Kay looked at her friends.  
"Don't get me wrong. I love to duel and the tournament does sound like a lot of fun. But if Seto isn't able to join his own tournament, then that's a sign that I probably shouldn't join this time either. Since he's a busy guy, he may need some help. Besides, there will be lots of other tournaments." She explained.

"I still don't believe it." Honda said.

Kay sighed. "Shut up before I give into temptation and change my mind about not joining the tournament." She grumbled.

Mokuba smiled a little.

"Well then, I have tickets for Yugi, Rebecca and Jounouchi. And the next flight to Kaiba Land is boarding now!" He said.

* * *

The Kaiba Corp. helicopter flew over Kaiba Land with Jounouchi, Honda, Mokuba and Otogi staring out the windows.

"It's huge!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"We plan to open tons of these all around the world!" Mokuba said cheerfully.

"It looks like they've got every ride ever invented!" Anzu added in.

Rebecca was still clinging to Yugi. "I hope they have a Tunnel of Love!" She giggled.

Anzu glared a little at Rebecca.

The helicopter landed and they entered the park.

Jounouchi was busy looking around until he was startled to come face-to-face with a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!

"GAH! It's a dragon!" Jounouchi cried.

"Jounouchi, calm down. It's only a statue." Honda reassured him.

Everything around the park was Duel Monster related!

"I thought the park hadn't opened yet." Kristen said.

"These are special guests. And every ride is free today." Mokuba explained.

"Oh yeah! We'll Tilt-A-Whirl till we hurl!" Jounouchi and Honda both cried gleefully.

"I need more female friends." Anzu groaned.

Finally, Mokuba led them to the Kaiba Dome. The building was shaped like the head of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, with it's fangs forming columns in front of the entrance.

Everyone looked either amazed or dumbfounded at the large building.

"We're not dealing with normal people here..." Jounouchi mummered after he saw the Blue-Eyes White Dragon dome.

Otogi agreed.

They all walked inside.

"This is the world's largest indoor stadium, with our new state-of-the-art Duel Monsters platform." Mokuba explained.

They watched a duel between the dueling computer and a boy.

The boy was in a bad situation.

"There's no way that kid can beat the digital duelist now." Jounouchi pointed out.

"That's right. Not a chance. The computer was programmed to mimic the strategies of the world's best duelists. We've imported Seto's deck and even Yugi's deck as well." Mokuba said.

"Then it must have mine too!" Jounouchi said with a grin.

"That's so it can lose too." Honda said with a grin. "Just to be fair."

"I don't appreciate the comment, Honda!" Jounouchi growled.

"What fun is it to duel against a computer that always wins?" Anzu asked.

"The players can choose one of five levels. From beginner to expert." Mokuba explained.

"That's an awesome way for kids to practice dueling and improving their skills." Yugi said.

Cat smiled at the machine.  
"I wouldn't mind dueling against one of these sometime." She said.

Soon, the boy on the dueling machine lost and he descended from the dueling platform to his friends, looking rather disappointed.

"You put up a good fight, Luke. You just set your level too high." One of them said.

Just then, one of the kids recognized Yugi and they all ran to him.

The kid who first spoke came up and introduced himself.

"Hi! My name is Leon. I've been a fan of yours since Duelist Kingdom." He said and held out his hand.

Yugi looked embarrassed and greeted him back, shaking his hand.

Other kids also crowded around Rebecca, getting her autograph.

"Hey! Does anyone want my autograph?" Jounouchi asked with a grin. "I was a Battle City finalist!"

But none of the kids knew who he was.

Honda laughed a little. "Do I know you?" He asked Jounouchi, teasingly.

Jounouchi hung his head sadly.

"I get no respect." He complained.

Cat, Kay and Kristen all looked at each other.

"Wow. I didn't realize they were that famous." Cat said.

Kay had her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, Yugi was pretty obvious. And I had heard about Rebecca, but I didn't think she would be this popular around here." She said.

Kristen was watching Yugi.

"I didn't know Yugi was famous." She said. "I feel lucky knowing him."

Another boy named Rick asked Yugi if he could look at his deck.

"No matter what I do, I can't seem to win a duel." Rick said to Yugi.

Jounouchi looked over Yugi's shoulder.  
"I see the problem. All you have is dragon cards." He said.

"Dragons are my favorite!" Rick said with a smile.

"But you'll never win with this deck." Rebecca said, also looking at the deck.

Kay glanced at the deck as well.

"Well...at least he has good tastes." She said, smiling weakly.

"It's obvious you value your cards and that respect is going to take you far. But you also need to balance your deck with magic and trap cards." Yugi said pulling out a card and handing it to Rick.

The card was called, "Heart of the Underdog".  
"That card reminds me of a good friend of mine." Yugi said and Rick happily accepted it.

"Who does the card remind you of, Yug?" Jounouchi asked.

"I'll tell you later." Yugi said.

"Awesome! I'm going to test it out right now!" Rick said happily and ran to the dueling platform.

"Don't set the level too high." Mokuba advised Rick.

Rick chose level two.

The duel was about to begin until the power suddenly went out!

Jounouchi laughed. "Looks like the Kaiba boys forgot to pay their electric bill!" He joked.

"There still must be some kinks in the system." Rebecca said.

Mokuba ran to the dueling platform. "That's impossible!" He said and worked at the controls at the side of the platform. "Everyone just stay calm."

The platform then lit up again! But at the same time, the stadium's emergency exits all closed. They were trapped!

The computer's voice changed and announced that it was altering it's original sequence.

Mokuba continued to work frantically at the controls, but it didn't respond.

Rebecca walked up. "Let me handle this Mokuba." She said, pulling out her laptop and plugging it into the duel platform's controls. "Just as is suspected. The computer is being controlled by an outside party."

"Why would someone do this?" Mokuba asked. "It's just an amusement park attraction."

"They're probably using it to get something they want from you and your brother." Rebecca said.

"Alright then! Let's tear this thing apart!" Jounouchi and Honda said and were about to spring into action, but Otogi stopped them.

"If you two do that, then we may not ever be able to get out of here." He warned.

"The only way to get out of here is to defeat that computer in a duel." Rebecca said.

"So, our fate lies in the hands of that kid up there." Kay said.

The computer then announced that it was time to duel.

"S-Someone help me! I can't do this alone!" Rick cried.

Yugi then noticed that the computer level had been set to level five! The toughest level!

"He'll never survive at level five! He's only a beginner!" Mokuba cried.

Suddenly, Yami took over and leapt up onto the platform next to Rick. "I'll take it from here, if that's okay." Yami said to Rick.

"It's...cool." Rick said slowly, looking a little dumbfounded.

"I'll bring your deck to victory, but you have to have faith." Yami said.

While Cat watched Yami, she felt her cheeks heat up. Noticing this, she tensed up and slapped her cheeks, hoping no one would notice.

"_Augh! Wh-What's wrong with me?!_" She cried in her head.

Everyone cheered them on.

"I don't know who's behind this, but whoever it is must be stopped!" Yami said. "It's my move!"

* * *

Back at Kaiba's office, Kaiba received a report on the intercom that someone had infiltrated the Kaiba Dome's central computer system.

"What? How?" Kaiba asked as his computer screen showed the interior of the Kaiba Dome, with Yami on the duel platform and the others standing aside, watching.

"I don't know, Mr. Kaiba. But everyone inside is being held captive." The voice on the intercom said.

Kaiba then noticed Kay and Mokuba inside as well.

"Mokuba! Kay! They're trapped inside there as well?" He cried.

* * *

The duel went on until Yami finally won.

The lights came back on and the stadium doors re-opened. Everyone cheered.

"I knew Yugi would save us!" Leon said happily.

"Yeah! And I did too!" Honda said.

"Yeah, right." Rebecca said to him sarcastically.

Yami and Rick came down from the dueling platform and Yami handed Rick his deck back. "It was your passion for your cards that saved us." He said.

All the kids gathered around Rick, asking for trades as Yugi and Yami smiled at each other.

Everyone returned outside and the kid's parents came to collect their children.

"Yeah! The good guys win again!" Jounouchi cheered happily.

"Thank you for the card, Yugi. I'll take good care of it!" Rick said with a smile and ran off to meet his parents, telling them that they wouldn't believe what just happened.

"Hey Yug...you said earlier that the Heart of the Underdog reminded you of someone." Jounouchi reminded Yami.

Yami blinked as Yugi stood by him in spirit, hands behind his head.

"Uh, I did?" Yami asked. "Uh, well...a little help here?" He said to Yugi, winking and immediately switched places with him.

Yugi blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh, real mature Pharaoh!" Yugi yelled at Yami, who was standing next to him in spirit, pretending not to hear him.

"Well?" Jounouchi asked, head locking Yugi. "Everyone seems to think it's me who reminds you of this underdog."

"Uh...lemme think of a good way to put this..." Yugi said and smiled sheepishly. "The card makes me think of you because even when the odds are against you, you always pull through."

"I can see Jounouchi's business cards now. Jounouchi Katsuya, Executive Underdog!" Honda said with a grin.

"Hey! What was that?!" Jounouchi snapped at Honda as everyone laughed.

Then, a nearby Kaiba Corp. helicopter landed and Kaiba leapt out, worried.

"Mokuba! Kay!" He called.

Mokuba ran up to him.

"Is everything all right?" Kaiba asked.

Everyone followed Mokuba.

"You're a bit late to save the day." Jounouchi said. "Yugi already did that. But now that you're here, you can fix the computer."

"Settle down, underdog." Kaiba said.

Everyone laughed as Jounouchi fumed.

"There's nothing wrong with the computer. The hacker who broke in is the one who's messed up." Kaiba said.

"Who was it?" Kay asked.

"I don't know. There's a long list of suspects, though. Kaiba Corp. has it's share of enemies. But that punk will be found and punished!" Kaiba said. He turned to Roland. "Triple security for the tournament registration tonight."

Roland nodded and headed off to do what he was told.

"Anyone who's late for registration will be disqualified." Kaiba said and turned to leave. "Mokuba...make sure Jounouchi's late."

"I'm pretty sure I've just been insulted." Jounouchi said and started yelling at Kaiba as he walked away. Everyone laughed at Jounouchi again.

* * *

**I wasn't sure if I was going to add Kay and Cat into the tournament. I my other version, they were in the tournament, but they didn't get to duel. So I just decided to not add them into this one. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
See you next chappie! :D  
**


	35. Night of Events

That night, Kaiba held a party for the tournament registration.

"Who are all the people, Mokuba?" Yugi asked.

"We're trying to create a big buzz about the tournament, so we've invited all the newspapers and television networks." Mokuba explained.

Honda then popped up in front of one of the news cameras and waved. "Hello world!" He said.

Jounouchi then pulled Honda away and jumped in front of the camera gleefully. "Hello, I'm Jounouchi Katsuya, two-time finalist." He said until Otogi walked up in front of Jounouchi, smiling at the camera.

"I think it's obvious who they all came to see." Otogi said.

Elsewhere, Rebecca was enjoying the food until a woman in a yellow Chinese dress bumped into her.

"Hey! Watch it, kid! The Kiddie Park is closed!" The woman snapped.

Rebecca glared at the woman. "Do you want a piece of me?" She asked angrily.

Anzu and Kristen walked up to Rebecca.

"What's wrong?" Anzu asked.

Rebecca pointed at the woman.

But suddenly, the woman got all excited and ran past the two, over to Yugi.  
"Yugi! I'd recognize that adorable spiky hair anywhere!" The woman said, holding Yugi's hands. "My name is Vivian Wong, but you can call me Viv." She winked.

Yugi looked embarrassed.

"Uh...nice to meet you, um...Viv?" He said.

Anzu, Kristen and Rebecca sweatdropped as they watched the woman.

"Hey! Let Yugi go!" Rebecca commanded.

Vivian ignored Rebecca and hugged Yugi around the neck. "Just because we'll be arch rivals when the competition starts, doesn't mean we can't be close off the playing field!" She said.

Anzu and Rebecca started to steam and Kristen didn't look very happy either.

Nearby, Jounouchi, Honda and Otogi boggled at Vivian.

"Let Yugi at least come up for some air!" Rebecca snapped at Vivian.

Vivan promptly let Yugi go, having spotted Kaiba across the room.

She ran to him, calling out to him.

Kay was nearby and she glared at Vivian. "I think I've just found the most annoying person on the face of the earth." She growled. "I hate those kind of girls."

Vivan continued to "yoo-hoo" at Kaiba.

"Hey, Yugi!"  
Yugi turned around to find Leon!

"Leon! What are you doing here?" Yugi asked, smiling.

"Turns out I'm in the tournament as well. It's been my dream to duel you ever since Duelist Kingdom." Leon explained.

"It could happen." Yugi said.

"Roland, it's almost time to get started." Kaiba said.

"We're still waiting for one more challenger." Roland replied. And after he said that, a strange looking man had just entered the room with a rose in his hand.

"Then the latecomer is disqualified!" Kaiba said and Roland stammered for a moment.

But then, the man who just entered, greeted Kaiba. "I apologize for my tardiness. Traffic was a nightmare." He said. "My name is Zigfried." He said in a strong German accent.

"I don't care who you are. You should show some respect." Kaiba said in an annoyed voice.

Zigfried just chuckled to himself and continued on.

Zigfried was about as tall as Kaiba and had very long pink hair that ended at his waist. He wore a formal lavender suit and white shoes. He had green eyes as well.

He may as well also be Kaiba's age.  
Zigfried was responsible for hacking the Kaiba Dome's computer system earlier that day.

Kay was wondering around, looking for Mokuba until she stopped, spotting Zigfried. She tensed up, looking disgusted. "Oh, great!" She hissed to herself. "It's THAT guy!" She ran off, hoping that he didn't see her.

Elsewhere, Cat stood in the crowd, wondering what she should do. She got separated from her friends.

"Great...good job ditz." She grumbled to herself and sighed.

Zigfried wasn't too far off when he spotted her. He recognized her as one of Yugi and Kay's friends when he was watching Yami's duel with the hacked dueling computer. He smirked and walked over to her.

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" He said to Cat.

Cat jumped and turned around, looking up at him. He startled her!

"Huh?" She asked.

"You're one of Yugi Motou's friends, are you not?" Zigfried said. "Not only that, but you share a friendship with Kaiba Corp., correct?"

Cat blinked.

"Oh...uhm...how did you know about that?" She asked nervously.

"Details are not important, my dear." Zigfried replied and took her hand politely. "I hope we can become "close" as well."

"Uh..." Was all Cat could say. She looked completely dumbfounded.

There was a pause.

"Oh yes, of course! How rude of me!" Zigfried said and bowed. "My name is Zigfried."

Cat blinked again.

"N-Nice to meet you...my name is Cat Tsuru." She said slowly.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Tsuru. I look forward to seeing you again." He said before handing her a white rose. "I'll see you around."

With that, he turned and walked away, an evil grin on his face.

"_If I can get closer to that girl, then perhaps she can erase any suspicions about me with Kay and the Kaiba brothers._" He thought to himself. "_If I play my cards right, perhaps she'll believe me to be innocent and try to convince Kaiba and Kay that I am. It's not a very solid plan...but it helps. Although I need to be cautious. I don't believe Kaiba will recognize me...but I know Kay will. If she suspects me of anything, then I may be in trouble._"

Yugi was nearby and Yami was next to him in spirit. They saw the whole thing. Yugi looked up at Yami, who didn't look very happy.

"Pharaoh? What's wrong?" He asked.

"I don't trust that man." Yami replied.

"Why? Because he was flirting with Cat?" Yugi asked and paused. "Wait a minute...why would that bother you?"

Yami didn't respond.

Yugi waited for a moment longer and sighed. "Well, whatever the reason is, I'm sure he's just another regular guy." He said.

"Hm. We'll see." Yami said and switched with Yugi, walking up to Cat. "Did you get lost on the way in?"

Cat snapped her head in Yami's direction and quickly hid the rose behind her back, blushing lightly.

"Oh! Um, uh...y-yeah...I did. Hehe..." She said.

Yami smiled a little.

"You made a new friend?" He asked.

Cat looked at the white rose in her hand. "Oh, this?" She asked and gave Yami a concerned look. "I honestly don't know what that was all about."

"I see. He wasn't bothering you, was he?" Yami asked.

Cat blinked and shook her head.  
"Not really. I think he might have just been trying to be friendly. There are people like that, I guess." She replied and set the rose on a nearby table.

Yami smiled. "Alright. I just didn't want anything to happen to you, is all."

Cat returned the smile, shyly. "Thanks for your concern, Yami." She said before looking down, blushing a little.

Why was it suddenly hard to talk to him without being shy? It never happened before...

Yami was about to ask Cat if she was okay, until the lights suddenly dimmed and Roland stood on the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! I now announce the beginning of the most prestigious Duel Monsters tournament in history! The Kaiba Corp. Grand Championship!" He announced into a microphone.

Jounouchi jogged up to Yami and Cat. "It's time to strut our stuff, Yug!" He said and paused, looking at Cat who was still blushing from before. "Hey, Cat. You feelin' all right? Your face is a little red. Do you have a fever?"

Cat shook her head. "N-No! Um...you guys better hurry up there before you get in trouble!" She stuttered with a weak smile.

Yami and Jounouchi looked at each other and nodded anyways, walking over to the stage, stepping onto it.

Cameras flashed as the press photographed the row of duelists.

One by one, Roland introduced them.

While the introductions went on, apparently Leon Wilson, they boy Yugi met earlier, was an undefeated prodigy. Everyone was surprised to see that he was undefeated.

Another duelist was introduced as "Apnarg Otom". He bared a strange resemblance to Yugi's grandfather, Solomon Motou.

Yugi and Yami recognized this strange resemblance.

Next, Zigfried Lloyd was introduced. Girls screamed excitedly as he tossed a rose into the audience. Kaiba, who was in the audience, frowned at him.

Cat was standing with everyone else and heard Kay gag. She looked at her friend. Did Kay know Zigfried?  
Turning her attention back to the stage, she could have sworn that Zigfried's eyes were on her for a moment and he was grinning. Cat quickly looked at the other duelists, avoiding Zigfried's gaze. He was starting to make her uncomfortable.

Jounouchi was introduced and he posed, trying to look cool and strong. But Jounouchi fell over in frustration when Roland added "The Overwhelming Underdog" to his introduction. Jounouchi stood back up and demanded some respect from Roland.

Last, but not least, Yami was introduced as the World Champion, Yugi Motou.

"Whoever wins the sixteen-player elimination competition will go on to face Yugi for the International Duel Monsters Championship crown!" Roland announced.

Yami looked surprised and looked around once he heard this.  
No one had told him about that!

"Whoa! Mokuba didn't mention that the winner of the tournament would get to face you!" Jounouchi exclaimed. "But it looks like the toughest bunch of competitors we've ever faced."  
Leon agreed with Jounouchi.

"Make sure you play fair! Match pairings will be randomly chosen by computer just before every duel!" Roland said.

"That means we won't have time to prepare for our opponents ahead of time." Yami noted.

"It means that none of the others will have a chance to prepare for me either!" Jounouchi said with a grin.

Cameras started to flash again.

"Best of luck to all of you! Only one of you will be the World Champion Duelist!" Roland said.

* * *

Fireworks exploded and there was skywriting planes spelling out "KC Grand Championship" in the sky over the Kaiba Dome.

It was the next day and everyone gathered for the tournament.

The roof of the Kaiba Dome opened to reveal a stadium full of cheering spectators.

"This is the beginning of the Kaiba Corp. Grand Championship! We've assembled a lineup of first-class duelists from around the world, one of which will be crowned World Champ!" Roland said into a microphone.

In the front row of the spectators, Yugi watched with the rest of his friends.  
"Whoa! This is a huge crowd!" Yugi exclaimed.

"I think Jounouchi's trying to scare his competition with his weird chicken dance." Otogi laughed as they watched Jounouchi make "bring it on" signs at the other competitors.

Anzu and Kay sighed in annoyance while Cat and Kristen smiled weakly.

"Nothing new here." Cat laughed lightly.

Honda jumped in front of a T.V camera, making peace signs and grinning. Anzu whacked him on the head. "Try acting normal!" She snapped.

"And now! The master of ceremonies! Mokuba Kaiba!" Roland introduced as Mokuba appeared on a platform that rose from behind the stage where the duelists were lined up.

Kay giggled.

"Mokie's the "master of ceremonies"? That's quite a thought." She said.

"Is everyone ready to get their duel on?!" Mokuba asked the crowd through a microphone. The crowd cheered very loudly in response. "Its time to kick off the greatest Duel Monsters tournament ever organized! But before this week is through, there may be a new international Duel Monsters Champion! And now allow me to introduce the current champion, Yugi Motou!"

The crowd chanted Yugi's name as the poor guy looked around in confusion. Jounouchi raised his fist to Yugi from the stage, grinning. Vivian and Rebecca waved to him, winking.

"Now everyone! If you'll direct your attention to the Kaibatron for the first round match-ups!" Mokuba said and pointed at a large screen. The computer chose four duelists randomly. "In Block A, Jounouchi will be facing Apnarg Otom! And in Block B, Leon Wilson will face Dr. Richard Goat!"

"Oh yeah!" Jounouchi said happily and turned to the crowd. "This one's for my fans!" He then turned to face Apnarg. "When I win, that mask is comin' off!"

Honda, Anzu, Kristen, and Cat examined Apnarg.

"Where do we know that guy from?" Honda asked.

"I dunno." Anzu replied.

"I do..." Yugi mummered.

Leon looked at his opponent nervously and Anzu stood up to wave at Leon. "Good Luck Leon!" She called. Leon looked at her, blushing.

"Before the duels go underway, I'm sure there's someone you all want to hear from! Yugi! Come up and give a few words to your fans!" Mokuba said through the microphone.

Yugi blinked in shock.

"Ph-Pharaoh, I need you to do this!" He said to Yami, who appeared next to him in spirit.

"No, you can do this." Yami said with a smile.

"Yugi, you can't let your fans down!" Honda said.

"Don't worry Yugi. You can do it!" Kristen said, smiling sweetly.

"They're right, Yugi!" Otogi said, pushing Yugi out of his chair.

Yugi walked hesitantly towards the stage, blushing. "Oh, what should I say?" He asked himself before turning to the crowd, waving. "H-Hello, Kaiba Land!"

"Uh, Yugi? Up here." Mokuba said to him.

Yugi jumped in embarrassment and blushed more before he slowly began to climb the stairs to the stage. "No one said anything about public speaking!" He complained to himself quietly.

Once he reached the top, he walked stiffly and awkwardly onto the stage and waved. "Uh...Hello everyone." He said with a blushing smile.

Kristen giggled.  
"That guy can be so cute at times." She said to herself.

The crowd roared with excitement until their attention directed to the roar of engines passing over the stadium. It was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet!

Kaiba jumped out, flying down to the stage with a jet pack strapped to his back. He was wearing a white suit and white shoes with a blue tie. He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest as he flew down.

Kay watched him, blushing. The suit he was wearing was her favorite out of all his outfits.

"Show off." She muttered.

Cat looked at Kay and grinned. Kay saw this and frowned at Cat.

"Don't you say a word." She said.

"I wasn't." Cat said innocently.

Kaiba landed next to Mokuba, dropping his jet pack and holding his hand behind him, waiting for Mokuba to pass him the microphone.

Mokuba handed him the microphone.

"All right, listen up! This is not a show! It's the ultimate test of survival!" Kaiba announced. "This is a ruthless battle and in the end, only one duelists will remain standing! From this moment forward, Kaiba Land is a battlefield! May the best duelist win!"

The crowd chanted Kaiba's name.

Jounouchi glared at Kaiba. "Show off! He's lucky he's not dueling me!" He mummered, huffing angrily.

"_I know one of these punks is out to ruin me. And before this tournament is over, I'm going to find out who._" Kaiba thought to himself as he looked over the duelists.

Zigfried smiled.

Roland then took over the announcements again.

"All tournament matches will be held on Kaiba Land grounds! Match one will take place on the Amazon Adventure Trail! And Match two will be held beneath the Dragon's Lair Flume." He announced. "Duelists need to report to their designated locations!"

"Hey look! It's Leon!" Yugi exclaimed with a smile as Leon appeared on the giant screen, walking under the Dragon's Lair ride.

His opponent approached him. Their duel was about to start.

The screen then showed Apnarg Otom, waiting for his opponent in the Amazon Adventure.

"That dude in the mask just looks so familiar!" Honda said.

"Maybe it's our gym teacher?" Anzu suggested.

"Yugi...is that?" Yami asked Yugi in spirit. Yugi nodded.

"By the way...where's Jounouchi?" Otogi asked.

They all became startled when Jounouchi walked in front of them, a hot dog in each hand.

"Jounouchi! What are you doing here?!" Yugi cried.

"Hey! There's a two-for-one sale on weenies!" Jounouchi said with a grin.

Everyone ran up to him, along with Mokuba.

"Jounouchi! You're supposed to be at the Amazon Adventure Trail!" Mokuba said.

"Jounouchi doesn't duel on an empty stomach!" Jounouchi insisted.

"If you don't get to your match in ten minutes, you'll be disqualified." Mokuba warned.

"Eh...ten minutes is a piece of cake." Jounouchi said. "No problem."

"The Amazon Adventure is a fifteen square mile virtual jungle, Jounouchi!" Kay snapped.

Mokuba sighed.

"I guess I'm going to have to..." But before he could finish is sentence, Jounouchi became panicked and ran for the exit with everyone else following him, telling him to wait up.

Mokuba watched them for a moment. "Oh well..." He said.

* * *

**...**

**Ummm...yup. Everyone's favorite Zigfried is here now!  
*crickets chirp***

**...Yeah, I think he's a strange one too.  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
See you next chappie! :D  
**


	36. Duelist Zigfried

Jounouchi stood in the prow of a boat heading down a stream into the jungle while Honda read the map.

"Okay...dock the boat over there." Honda said, pointing at a location.

"Land Ho!" Jounouchi said quickly and jumped out at the boat as soon as it stopped. He ran down the trail.

"Slow down! The jungle is loaded with pitfalls, Jounouchi!" Kay called after him. But it was too late. Jounouchi had already fallen into one.

Later, Jounouchi made his way across a wobbly suspension bridge while hungry crocodiles snapped at him from below.

He looked down at them nervously.

"Ehh...n-nice crocodiles!" He said.

Time passed and everyone was still making their way through the virtual jungle. Everyone was running down a trail trying to get away from a huge boulder that was chasing them!

"Break left!" Honda cried and everyone went left...except Jounouchi.

The boulder rolled over him, leaving him lying on the ground with his eyes spiraling around.

Not too long later as everyone continued on, Jounouchi was confronted by a snake, followed by a flock of bats!

"Guys! Help me!" He cried, flailing around at the bats and snake.

Everyone watched him from afar.

"Should we tell him they're only holograms?" Otogi asked.

"Why? And spoil all the fun?" Kay said.

Ten minutes was almost up as everyone ran down the trail. Jounouchi was looking exhausted.

Anzu looked at her watch. "We only have twenty seconds left!" She reported.

Hearing this, Jounouchi went into overload, running through the vines and leaves as fast as he could until he finally made it into the clearing where the masked duelist waited on the steps of the stone platform.

Mokuba stepped up. "If you're not here in ten seconds, you're disqualified." He said.

Jounouchi staggered up to Mokuba and grabbed the boy's shoulders, panting.

"And with...five seconds...to spare." He panted before realizing something. "Hey...wait a minute! How did you get here before us?"

Mokuba frowned and moved Jounouchi's hands away from him.  
"I tried to tell you! There's a secret passageway for special guests." He said.

"What?!" Jounouchi cried as everyone else finally caught up to him, all gasping for breath. "ARG! It's not fair!"

"At least we made it on time." Yugi said.

"Looks like the student is finally going to face his former dueling instructor." Apnarg Otom said and quickly corrected himself. "I-I mean...! It's time to teach you a lesson kid!"

"I don't think so!" Jounouchi said back to him.

"I'm sure we know that voice as well." Honda said.

Jounouchi and Apnarg faced each other atop the stone platform.

"Yugi...the mysterious duelists sounds just like your grandpa." Cat said to Yugi.

"He is." Yugi replied.

"But why the disguise?" Kristen asked.

"Perhaps I should explain." Professor Hawkins said as he suddenly walked up. "I tried to talk Solomon out of it, but he wouldn't listen."

---

_"I've made up my mind, Arthur. I'm going to join the tournament and that's final!" Solomon said to Professor Hawkins over the phone while he stood in an airport. "I need to get back to the action and relive my glory days. But I'll need a disguise. I don't want anyone going easy on me."_

_This was the phone call Professor Hawkins received back when everyone was having breakfast at the motor home._

---

Solomon and Jounouchi were shuffling each others decks.

"I can't believe Grandpa had us fooled!" Honda cried.

"It is a pretty lame disguise." Anzu added in.

"At it looks like Jounouchi's still clueless." Kay pointed out. "Nothing new there."

"We should tell Jounouchi to go easy on him." Otogi suggested.

"No. My grandpa will be just fine." Yugi said.

"I hope so." Kristen said.

"You invited him, didn't you?" Honda asked Mokuba and Mokuba shook his head.

"No...in fact, Mr. Motou begged to be let in. He taught Yugi everything he knows and that's good enough for me." He answered.

"I hope he doesn't hurt himself." Kristen said.

"I'm more worried about Jounouchi." Yugi mummered.

"I didn't know Mr. Motou was a duelist. I've never seen him duel before." Cat said.

Yugi nodded.

"Yeah. My grandpa is the one who taught me the game. He was an amazing duelist when he was younger." He explained.

"I see." Cat mummered.

* * *

Outside of the entrance to Kaiba Land, two figures wearing ratty robes and carrying walking sticks struggled down a road.

"I'm tired!" One of them complained. It was Weevil!

"Oh yeah? I'm more tired than you!" It was Rex!  
Rex and Weevil woke up in a hospital after Dartz was defeated and they blamed Yugi and Jounouchi for being in the hospital. They were off to get their revenge.

"Whatever! I'm hungry!" Weevil complained. "It's been two weeks!"

"I think you're exaggerating." Rex pointed out.

"Shut up!" Weevil cried as the two fell to their knees at the entrance of Kaiba Land, sweat and tears streaming down their faces.

They finally found the tournament!

"We made it!" Weevil said happily.

"I have a few ideas about how to get in." Rex grinned.

"That's what I'm worried about." Weevil mummered.

* * *

Everyone ran to Solomon, who was laying on his back, eyes spiraling, after getting trounced by Jounouchi's final attack from his Goblin Attack Force Monster card.

The whole duel, Solomon was playing all sorts of cards just to summon one monster. Ancient Dragon.

Professor Hawkins had explained that seven cards needed to be played right in order to summon the Ancient Dragon. Solomon and Professor Hawkins had a friendly competition on who could gather all seven cards first. It was years until Solomon won the little competition. Professor Hawkins still hadn't found all seven yet.

The Ancient Dragon was a very powerful monster, but Jounouchi was still able to win the duel in the end. And yet...he still didn't realize that he was dueling against Solomon.

Jounouchi offered Solomon a hand. "It was a nice duel." He said.

Solomon then sat up and pulled of his mask, revealing himself to Jounouchi. He smiled. "Good Job, Jounouchi!"

Jounouchi freaked out. "I was dueling with Grandpa all along?!" He cried.

Solomon laughed.

"It was a pretty good disguise. Maybe it'll be my new look." He said cheerfully.

"Why did you join the tournament?" Jounouchi asked.

"I was hoping to duel you. I did teach you everything you know, so I thought it was time to test you." Solomon explained.

"Well, uh...did I pass?" Jounouchi asked.

Solomon winked and gave him a thumbs up.

"You get an A+!" He said.

"There's a first time for everything." Mokuba said.

"Pinch me, I must be dreaming." Honda said. "OW! It was a figure of speech!"  
Otogi laughed after he had pinched Honda.

Yami appeared next to Yugi in spirit. "Your grandfather dueled quite well." He said.

"Yeah. I think grandpa had more fun than anyone." Yugi agreed.

"So, uh, why didja pick the name "Apnarg" anyways?" Jounouchi asked Solomon.

"It's "Grandpa" spelled backwards." Solomon explained.

"Oooohhhh..." Everyone said.

"I don't get it." Jounouchi admitted.

* * *

Everyone left the jungle area.

"Congratulations on your first-round win." Honda said to Jounouchi. "Even though it means I owe Otogi a steak."

Mokuba ran up to one of the screens located in the park, broadcasting the duels. "Hurry up! The next duel is about to begin!" He called to the others.

On the screen, the announcer introduced the duelists.

"The next duel will be between Regional Champion and self-proclaimed child genius, Rebecca Hawkins! And she will face model turned actress turned kung-fu master and turned duelist, Vivian Wong!" He said.

"That diva is nothing but bad news." Anzu said, glaring at Vivian's image on the screen.

Solomon began to get all googly over how beautiful Vivian was.

"Another duel! I can't get enough!" He said.

"If you don't calm down, Mr. Motou, you'll hurt yourself." Honda warned.

Solomon grabbed Professor Hawkins by the lapels. "It's been so long since I've been near the action! Besides! We should cheer for Vivan!" He said.

"You're going to cheer for the Vivian instead of your friend's granddaughter?" Kristen asked.

"I'll certainly root for Rebecca as well!" Solomon said before his back went out with a crack, causing poor Solomon to fall over.

"Grandpa!" Yugi cried and kneeled down beside him. "Are you okay?"  
Professor Hawkins kneeled down on Solomon's other side.

"It looks like Solomon threw out his back." He said.

Mokuba pulled out his walkie-talkie. "I'll radio for a doctor." He said.

"Don't worry about me. Go with your friends and enjoy the rest of the tournament." Solomon said.

"I can't leave you." Yugi said.

"I'll look after your grandfather, Yugi. Go root for Rebecca for me. Rebecca would never admit it, but she could really use some support." Professor Hawkins said to Yugi.

"Alright then." Yugi said.

* * *

Rex and Weevil snuck through the hallways.

"This is our ticket in!" Weevil said.

"I'm not so sure…" Rex said in an unsure way.

Weevil grabbed Rex by the shirt. "Don't be so negative! Name the last time one of my ideas didn't work!" He snapped.

"Every time!" Rex replied. "Just once I'd like to get my revenge without looking like a doofus!"

They then spotted one of the duelists, Salim, walking into the men's room.

"Oh…stadium food. It doesn't go well with me." He complained as he walked in.

Rex and Weevil then followed him inside.

A scuffle was heard inside and then Rex and Weevil left, wobbling inside Salim's robe.

A robeless Salim was in a broom closet, tied up with a toilet plunger on his head. He grimaced in pain.

* * *

Rebecca and Vivian's duel was about to begin.

They were in the Blue-Eyes White Dragon station over the train tracks. The two females shuffled each other's decks.

"This duel is going to be short and lame. Like you." Vivian said to Rebecca. "I was hoping for a real opponent. Someone strong, like Yugi! He's so commanding, yet sweet and gentle! Or Kaiba for that matter! I could use my beautiful skills to make them my captives of love! And together we'd be the strongest dueling couple in the world!"

"You won't be getting within 50 feet of Yugi, Viv!" Rebecca replied angrily as they returned their decks to each others.

"When I win this tournament, Yugi will forget all about you. In fact, he probably already has!" Vivian said.

The two glared at each other before leaving the station on opposite sides to get to their sides of the field. As they glared each other down, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon train sped between them. When it passed, they stood there, ready to duel.

The duel had already begun when Yugi and the others arrived.

They all called out to Rebecca.

Rebecca looked up and waved happily at Yugi. "Yugi! Hi!" She was then interrupted by Vivian who danced around, calling to Yugi.

"My little dumpling! I knew you'd be here to cheer me on!" Vivian called to Yugi gleefully.

Yugi looked mortified and didn't know what to say.

"Yugi is here for me, Viv!" Rebecca snapped at Vivian. But Vivian ignored her and continued to gush at Yugi.

Anzu steamed as well while Jounouchi threw his arm around Yugi's neck. "You're my hero, Yug!" He said.

"What's your secret." Honda asked.

Yugi looked dumbfounded.

"Maybe...it's my natural charm?" He suggested.

"This is why I need more female friends!" Anzu snapped at the boys before turning to Rebecca. "Rebecca! That "glamazon" has got to go!"

Kay and Kristen looked annoyed at Vivian as well.

Cat sweatdropped, wondering to herself if she was the only person calm at the moment. Although, Vivan's behavior wasn't making Cat all that happy either.

It was a fair and long duel, but Rebecca won in the end. Everyone cheered for Rebecca as she ran up to join them.

Vivian sunk to her knees in disbelief that she had lost.

"We knew you'd pull through!" Otogi said to Rebecca.

Rebecca then flung herself onto Yugi.  
"No one comes between us, Viv!" Rebecca said and stuck her tounge out at Vivian.

Yugi looked a little dumbfounded.

Vivian glared up at Rebecca and chewed on her handkerchief in anger. "We'll see about that!" She growled.

* * *

Everyone went to the nearest screen to check on the duels.

According to Kaiba's chart, Jounouchi would face whoever won the next duel.

It was Zigfried Lloyd versus Fortune Salim.

Rex and Weevil, still in Salim's clothing, staggered up to the dueling arena. Mokuba, who was at the dueling arena as well, watched suspiciously.

"Weevil! I should be the one who's dueling this match! Not you!" Rex protested from inside the robe.

He was holding Weevil up on his shoulders.

"My insect deck is way better!" Weevil snapped back.

Just then, Rex tripped on the steps, which led to the dueling area, and the two boys flew apart, revealing them.

"Hey! What are those two doing here?" Jounouchi asked, watching the screen.

"They're acting like complete numbskulls, what else?" Honda asked.

"You spaz! You made us fall!" Rex snapped at Weevil.

"What?! You're the spaz! You're the one who tripped!" Weevil snapped back.

Mokuba stood over them, frowning down at them. "What did you do with the real Fortune Salim?" He demanded.

Weevil and Rex quickly stood up.

"He's tied up right now and he asked us to fill in!" Weevil explained.

"That's right!" Rex agreed. "Salim thought we would be best to fill his shoes."

"Right..." Mokuba said, obviously not buying their story. "No one can duel unless they're registered."

"Oh, come now. Let the boys duel. After all, I did wear my favorite suit and I look too good to win just by forfeit." Zigfried said to Mokuba. "Think of your business...you wouldn't want to disappoint your public. Let me duel these two fools."

"But..." Mokuba started to protest.

"What did you call us?!" Rex and Weevil snapped at Zigfried at the same time, cutting Mokuba off.

They started to insult Zigfried back, but he ignored them, looking at the overhead camera.

"_I hope you're watching Heir Kaiba...because I have a special show in store just for you._" He thought to himself.

And of course, Kaiba was indeed watching from elsewhere.

"I don't trust that guy." He mummered to himself.

Kay frowned at the screen and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't like that guy." She grumbled.

Cat looked at Kay.  
"Why?" She asked.

"A couple of years ago, he showed up at Industrial Illusions. I was with my uncle Pegasus at the time. He wanted to see my uncle, but he couldn't. He found out I was Pegasus' niece and it almost seemed like he was trying to charm me or something." Kay shuttered. "He was probably trying to use me to get to my uncle so I made sure he knew that I wasn't buying it. I don't trust him. That freaky, pink-haired freak."

Cat looked a little worried.

Weevil and Rex started up their Duel Disks to face off against Zigfried.

Weevil was able to summon his Insect Queen in one turn while Rex was able to summon his Black Tyranno in one turn as well.

"I'd like to see you try to get past my Jurassic giant!" Rex said to Zigfried with a smirk.

"And even if you do, you'll never get past my incredible insect!" Weevil added in.

"We'll see about that." Zigfried said calmly and drew a card. He smiled at the card in his hand. A breeze blew and rose petals began to fly around him. "My conquest has already begun to blossom. Ride of the Valkryies!"

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who thought the rose petals and flower pun was cheesy." Anzu said.

"You're not alone." Kay said, looking at Zigfried with disgust.

Suddenly, four Valkyrie monsters appeared on the field and started to ride circles around Rex and Weevil's monsters.

A great whirlwind then rose around the two monsters and they were destroyed, wiping out Weevil and Rex's life points in one blow.

The four Valkyries disappeared.

Kaiba watched in open mouth shock.

"And the winner, in one blow, is Zigfried Lloyd!" Roland announced.

Everyone was shocked!

* * *

**Hmm...not much else to say about this chapter.  
Except I gave Kay an interesting reason to be disgusted by Zigfried. LOL  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	37. Virus Duel

Everyone watched the announcements of the match-ups in the waiting room. Jounouchi ran to the screen.

"Enough with the fancy intros and get to my duel!" He cried to the screen.

"Oh yeah...Jounouchi's a perfect model of patience." Kay said with sarcasm.

"Jounouchi, you might want to take this time to run through your game strategy." Yugi said, pointing out that everyone else in the waiting room was studying their decks. "It couldn't hurt."

Honda threw his arm around Jounouchi's shoulder. "Jounouchi hates cramming, which is too bad. Because he's about to get schooled by that freakazoid who took out Weevil and Rex in one move!" He said, grinning.

Zigfried sat calmly off to the side, reading a book.

Cat made sure she stood in a spot where he couldn't see her. After what Kay had told her earlier, she was getting an even more uncomfortable feeling from him.

"The only thing I'm scared of is that hairdo!" Jounouchi said before turning to Zigfried. "Hey! Pinky the Clown called and wants his wig back!"

Zigfried simply ignored him.

"I don't think Jounouchi's in any position to make fun of anyone's hairdo." Rebecca mummered.

Jounouchi glared at Rebecca.

"I heard that!" He snapped.

"Settle down, Jounouchi. You're too high-strung." Otogi said.

"What are you talkin' about?! I'm as cool as a cucumber!" Jounouchi insisted.

"Oh yeah. Real cool." Honda said with sarcasm.

Jounouchi turned to him.

"That's it!" He snapped and the two boys started to scuffle.

"Hey you two! Grow up!" Anzu snapped.

Kristen walked over to the two meekly. "G-Guys...please stop fighting!" She said, trying to stop them. But instead, she got knocked back by a stray elbow and almost hit a wall until Yugi caught her.

"You okay?" He asked.

Kristen blushed a little.

"Y-Yeah! I'm fine." She said quietly.

Yugi smiled sweetly at her.

"That's good."

As the two boys continued to scuffle, Kay marched over to the two angrily and pulled them apart by their ears. She started snapping at them for hitting Kristen.

While this was happening, Anzu noticed that Leon, who was winning his duels and was waiting for his next duel, seemed kind of quiet.

"Leon, are you all right?" She asked.

Leon smiled at her.

"Yeah...I guess I just have a case of the pre-duel jitters." He said. "I guess we can't all be as calm as Jounouchi."

After Kay stopped yelling at the two boys, Jounouchi turned to Leon.

"You can't be too bad if you made it this far! You should just do what you do and believe you're going to win!" He said to him.

"I'm afraid to win. Because then I'll have to face off against Yugi." Leon admitted.

Yugi looked a little surprised at Leon's words.

"Just take it one duel at a time." Jounouchi said.

"That's right. It's too soon to worry about the championship duel. Besides, you'll have to duel me before you can get to Yugi." Rebecca said with a smile.

Leon laughed lightly.

"Go easy on me."

Zigfried observed them from under his bangs while Leon told Rebecca that she can be brutal.

He stopped for a moment to notice that Cat and Kay started to wonder away from the group. After a moment, he smiled, closing the book and getting up to follow them.

"You know what, Cat? I'm starting to regret not entering the tournament. It seems like a lot of fun." Kay said as the two girls walked down the empty hallway. "I wish I could have been the one to knock out Vivian from the tournament. The way she tries to cling and fangirl over Yugi and Seto is just...ugh...very annoying. That and I wish I could duel Zigfreak. I wonder what he's doing here though? I didn't really expect to see his creepy face here."

Cat shurgged.

"I couldn't say." She said.

Kay shrugged as well and stopped in front of the woman's restroom. "Do you mind waiting out here? I'll be right back." She said.

Cat smiled a little.  
"Okay, sure." She said as Kay walked into the restroom.

Cat leaned against the wall, the restroom across the hall from her and to her left. She had closed her eyes, feeling a little tired.

It wasn't long until she heard footsteps. But she didn't bother to open her eyes. It was probably just someone passing by or one of their friends coming to tell them that the duel started or something.

The footsteps came closer and stopped across from her. She almost opened her eyes until a familiar voice came up.

"My, my, my...we just keep running into each other, don't we?"

Cat's eyes popped open and she looked up at the man in front of her; Zigfried.

The uncomfortable feeling returned.

"O-Oh...yes...I guess we do." Cat said with a weak smile, trying to be polite, none-the-less.

Zigfried smiled and stepped closer to her. Cat's shoulders tensed up and she leaned against the wall as much as she could.

"Do tell...what are you doing out here by yourself?" He asked, looming over her. He had trapped Cat between him and the wall. "A young girl such as yourself shouldn't be wondering around alone."

"I-I'm waiting for my friend to come back." She stuttered nervously.

"I see." Zigfried said before reaching forward and touched her face. "Am I making you nervous, dear?"

Cat felt her body freeze up and she didn't respond. Zigfried chuckled and took her hand, kissing it.

"I must leave now, my dear. My duel is about to start against your friend, Jounouchi. I hope you will support me. I'll see you there." He said before walking away.

Cat was completely frozen and pressed up against the wall, even after he had left. She remained that way until Kay walked out of the restroom.

"I'm back, sorry I took so...long?" She stopped at started at her friend. "Uh...Cat? You okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Cat remained silent.

Kay blinked and waved her hand in front of Cat's face. "Cat?" She asked. Cat finally twitched a little.

"He...h-h-h-he..." She stuttered, unable to finish the sentence.

Kay frowned a little.  
"Geez, Cat do I need to take you to the doctor or something?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Cat slowly shook her head as she finally removed herself from the wall.

"N-No...I'm sorry...I'm fine." She sighed, calming down. "It's just...that was a very uncomfortable and awkward situation."

"What are you talking about?" Kay asked.

"Nevermind." Cat said. "We'd better hurry back. They're probably going to start the duel soon."

She walked down the hallway and Kay followed her, looking confused.

Once they returned to their friends, Mokuba entered the room.

"Okay everyone. It's time to get this show on the road!" He said.

Everyone started to leave.

Jounouchi stopped Zigfried and offered a hand. "Hey, good luck out there." He said.

Zigfried ignored the offered handshake.

"Unlike you, I don't rely on luck." He simply said before walking away.

Jounouchi blinked and then ran after him, angry.

"I was just tryin' to be nice!" He growled and stopped Zigfried again. "Where I come from, you show your opponent some respect!"

Zigfried only laughed and continued to walk. Jounouchi glared at him and ran after him again, intending to fight back, but Zigfried sidestepped him, causing Jounouchi to fall to the ground.

Jounouchi jumped back to his feet, really angry right now.

"Jounouchi...maybe you should stop." Yugi said.

Zigfried continued to walk away.

"If I were you, I'd listen to your little friend." He said.

"Yeah? Well you're not me!" Jounouchi snapped.

"And if I were, then I'd be a street punk with no talent and an appalling taste in outerwear." Zigfried replied calmly.

"Bring it on, then!" Jounouchi snapped.

"I've wasted enough time with you already." Zigfried said and continued to walk.

Honda restrained Jounouchi from going after Zigfried. "Save it for the duel!" He said.

Jounouchi shrugged him off and stormed off.  
"It's time to beat the designer pants off of that chump!" He growled.

Otogi sighed and shook his head. "Jounouchi had better get a grip or he'll be history. The duel hasn't even started and Zigfried's already messing with his had." He said.

"I'd better head off to my match too." Rebecca said almost sadly.

"Are you all right?" Yugi asked.

"I know that Jounouchi needs you, but that means you won't be there to watch my duel. But there's a bright side! I'm planning to stay in the tournament until the very end, so you'll have plenty of chances to root for me!" Rebecca explained and ran off.

"Go get 'em!" Yugi called after her.

"Hey guys! C'mon! Jounouchi's going to need all the help he can get to beat Zigfried." Honda said.

But before the seven could leave, Mokuba stopped them.

"Yugi, I need to speak with you right away." He said. "Have you noticed any strange behavior from any of the competitors?"

"I don't think so. What's going on?" Yugi asked.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone. If word of this gets out, it could ruin the Grand Championship and our whole company." Mokuba said.

Yugi and everyone promised not to say anything.

"You remember when the DuelTek computer went berserk and locked us inside the Kaiba Dome? Afterwards, I asked my brother if the system was secure now." Mokuba explained.

---

_"I'll reinforce the firewall so that no one can break in from the outside. But I have a bad feeling that the person we're after is already on the inside." Kaiba said._

_"How could anyone have snuck in without us noticing?" Mokuba asked._

_"No one snuck in. We invited the hacker in. When I find out who's out to ruin me, they'll pay for this!" Kaiba said and started to run background checks on all the duelists. "Mokuba, I'm counting on you to keep an eye out for suspicious activities."_

---

"Who do you think the hacker is?" Yugi asked.

"I don't have the slightest clue. That's why I need you and the others' help. You have to let me know if you notice anything strange." Mokuba said.

"Alright. But you do realize that strange things happen to us all the time." Anzu said to Mokuba.

Yugi sighed. "I was hoping that this time would be different! Just once I'd like to duel in a tournament for the thrill of it and not have to worry about who's trying to take over the world!" He said in frustration.

"Yugi..." Kristen mummered.

Yami appeared in spirit to try and calm Yugi down.

"Why can't things just be easy for a change? We should be having fun instead of hunting down bad guys!" Yugi continued.

"Don't worry. We'll find the hacker soon. We're not going to let some punk ruin this tournament." Mokuba assured him.

"You can count on us to help out." Kay said.

"Yeah! Now let's get out of here and watch Jounouchi's duel and do what we do best! Cheer from the sidelines!" Honda said happily.

Yugi still looked a little sad at first, but then smiled and nodded.

"Look on the bright side. There's never a dull moment." Cat said to Yugi while Vivian watched them from the woman's restroom. She smiled to herself.

Yugi walked next to Cat.

"Hey Cat...when you and Kay were taking a walk, did you run into any strange?" Yugi asked.

Cat blinked nervously and looked at him.

"Why do you ask?" She asked.

"Well...I couldn't help but notice that after you two walked off, Zigfried followed you two after a moment." Yugi replied.

Cat looked away from Yugi, smiling nervously. "Well...er...I..." She stuttered, starting to sweat profusely.

"Cat...you're not hiding anything from me, are you?"

Cat looked back at him. "U-Uh! Why would you worry about something like that Yug-..." When Cat looked back in Yugi's direction, she wasn't facing Yugi anymore...she was facing Yami.

Cat immediately blushed and jumped up against a wall. "P-P-Pharaoh!" She cried. "W-What brings you here?" She asked before laughing dumbly.

Yami sweatdropped a little. "Okay...now I'm worried." He mummered.

"Hey! What are you two doing? Are you coming or not?" Kay called after them.

When Kay called to them, Yugi took over again.

"Coming!" He replied and started to walk back to them.

Cat stayed pressed against the wall for a moment more before following him as well.

Yami appeared next to Yugi in spirit.  
"Cat's acting a little strange." He said.

"Do you think it has something to do with Zigfried?" Yugi asked.

Yami frowned.

"I wouldn't doubt that at all." He mummered.

* * *

Jounouchi arrived at his dueling arena in a Blue-Eyes White Dragon train car. Zigfried was already waiting.

"Okay Ziggy! It's time to get down to business!" Jounouchi said to Zigfried just as everyone else arrived on a Blue-Eyes White Dragon train car as well.

"Don't start without us!" Honda said as they all jumped out of the cart to join Jounouchi.

"Hey! It's about time you guys showed up!" Jounouchi said to them and turned back to Zigfried, glaring at him. They approached each other to shuffle each other's decks.

"May the best dressed duelist win." Zigfried said to Jounouchi.

"The whole world can see you shaking in your patent leather shoes!" Jounouchi said.

Zigfried glanced up and spotted Cat among the rest. He gave her a strange smile and Cat twitched, making a nervous face.

Yugi watched Cat, for he had noticed the smile Zigfried gave her. Yami watched her in spirit form as well.

"I think it's safe to say that those two have ran into each other more than once. And Cat doesn't seem very comfortable." Yami said.

Yugi nodded.

"Yeah." He agreed.

Zigfried stopped looking at Cat and turned to glance at the camera broadcasting the duel.

Kaiba sat in his office, watching the duelists intently.

Zigfried continued to watch the camera as he shuffled Jounouchi's deck.

"Uh...I think you've shuffled it enough." Jounouchi said and for some reason, got mad all over again as Zigfried calmly handed it back.

"Hey Jounouchi! Don't let Zigfried get to you!" Honda called to Jounouchi.

"Just stay calm!" Yugi added in.

Jounouchi stalked back to his side of the field. "Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and get dirty?" He asked Zigfried.

"I won't even break a sweat on you." Zigfried replied.

The duel started.

Yugi watched silently.

"I don't trust that guy. I think he's setting Jounouchi up for some kind of trap." Yugi said.

Yami was next to him in spirit form.

"Yes...I just hope Jounouchi figures it out soon." Yami said before looking a little angry. "Besides...I never trusted that man ever since I first laid eyes on him."

Yugi sweatdropped.

"Still sore about that, are we?" He asked.

Yugi had Yami figured out before Yami even knew it himself.

* * *

Everyone gathered around Jounouchi after he had lost the duel.

The duel lasted a lot longer than Zigfried's duel with Weevil and Rex. During the duel, Zigfried secretly, activated a virus that made Kaiba Land go crazy all over the place!

Kaiba was able to stop the virus for now. But at the same time, he realized that there was a high chance that Zigfried was the hacker. Kaiba remembered, when he was a child, he met "a" Zigfried and saw what he could do with virus' firsthand.

Kaiba then demanded a deep background check on Zigfried. He wanted to know if Zigfried had any connection to the "Schroeder" family.

"Big deal, so you lost the duel on a lousy game of chance." Honda said, trying to cheer Jounouchi up.

"Jounouchi just must have ran out of luck." Otogi added. in.

"Nah, Jounouchi win's his duels with talent, not luck." Anzu said.

"Okay then...so Jounouchi didn't lose because he ran out of luck, he lost because he ran out of talent." Kay said with a grin.

Jounouchi looked furious and turned to his friends. "Is this how you plan to cheer me up?!" He snapped. "It's time for me to spread a little cheer of my own!" He started going after his friends as they ran away laughing.

"Jounouchi did a great job. And sooner or later, he's going to learn to control his temper." Yugi said as he watched his friends.

Yami appeared next to him in spirit.  
"Proabably later." He said with a smile.

Jounouchi continued to run after the others. "I GET NO RESPECT!" He complained.

Yugi laughed and paused, looking around. "Where's Cat?" He asked.

He turned around to see that Zigfried had confronted her again.

"Wasn't that an amazing duel, my dear?" Zigfried asked with a sly smile. "Perhaps someday we can have a duel of our own."

Cat was getting that uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach again.

"Zigfried...why do you keep approaching me like this?" She asked, trying not to show her uneasiness.

Zigfried looked a little puzzled at the question before grinning again. This time, it seemed a little more intense.

Cat felt her heart catch in her throat as he leaned forward.

"When one finds a beautiful flower, isn't it only natural to take it and add it to their garden?" He askd.

Cat tried to lean away from him. What did he mean by that anyways?

All of the sudden, Cat felt someone grab her shoulder and pull her against someone!

"Wha?!" She gasped, surprised at the sudden action.

Yami glared intensely at Zigfried as he held onto Cat by the shoulder. She was still confused and shocked.

"I don't know why you keep coming to her...but I don't trust you. If you bother her again, you'll have me to worry about." Yami said to Zigfried in a serious tone.

Zigfried smirked.

"I'll have you know, I do not fear you, Yugi. Remember that." He said before turning and leaving.

Yami glared at him as he left before turning back and heading to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon carts they came in.

Cat was blushing when she had realized it was Yami that grabbed her.

"What did he say to you?" Yami asked.

"Huh?" Cat asked.

"What did he say to you?" Yami repeated.

"I-I'm not sure what he meant by it...but when I asked him why he keeps on confronting me, he said, "Isn't it natural when one finds a beautiful flower, to take it and add it to their garden?" Or...something like that." Cat replied.

Yami frowned and spun her around so she was facing him once they reached their friends. He looked at her sternly.

"Don't ever be alone with him again. If we're not around and he comes, run away and find us. And if he comes when we are around, come to one of us. Or me." He said before switching with Yugi.

Anzu looked annoyed at the scene of Yami and Cat.

Yugi smiled at Cat and laughed a little. "Don't worry about it Cat. The Pharaoh isn't mad at you. He just doesn't trust Zigfried and he's worried about you." He said to Cat.

Cat smiled back with a small smile.

"Thank you." She said.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Honda said as everyone started to board the carts.

As Cat headed to one, Kay jumped up and threw an arm around her neck.

"Well, well! What was that scene all about?" She asked, grinning slyly.

Cat blushed and made Kay let go of her. "K-Kay! Geez, he did it on his own!" She cried.

"Yeah, I know." Kay said, still grinning. "But I would presume that my theory is correct! He does love you!"

Cat blushed a little brighter and opened her mouth to protest.

"Don't even bother trying." Kay said before Cat could say anything. Cat sighed.

"Whatever. Yami's just protective of me, is all. Because he knows I tend to get caught in trouble a lot..." Cat said almost looking embarrassed.

Kay grinned as she jumped into one of the carts.

"Yeah, that's true. But it still doesn't change my mind." She said.

Cat heaved another sigh as she jumped into a cart as well.

* * *

**Yup. Another chapter. Lol  
Not much else to say right now...lol  
So...I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	38. MiniTournament in the Chinese Restaurant

The next duels were about to begin. Only four duelists remained, besides Yugi.

One of Kaiba's employees entered the control room, where Kaiba and Mokuba were.

"We've conducted an in-depth investigation of Zigfried Lloyd. It appears Zigfried has participated in over fifty tournaments in the last three years, each time ranking in the top five. But our research revealed almost nothing about his personal background or family history. And there's no record of any connection with the Schroeder family." The employee reported.

"So this Zigfried has been winning tournaments around the world and no one knows anything about him?" Kaiba asked.

"Apparently, he gains entry into these tournaments with letters of recommendation from local politicians. I've compiled a list with dozens of names, but none were available for comment." The employee explained.

"They just need some incentive." Kaiba said, taking the list and looked through the names. He paused and grinned. "Number 13. Question that man again. And if he still refuses to talk, make him an offer he can't refuse." He handed the list back to the employee.

The employee left and Kaiba looked back at the screens.

"I've got you by the tail, Zigfried." He said to the screens.

* * *

Rebecca walked down the path to where her duel was going to take place. She stopped beside a terminal, showing the duel results.

"Jounouchi lost against Zigfried?" She asked herself in surprise. "Oh...poor Jounouchi. Wait! But since Jounouchi's out of the tournament, Yugi will be free to cheer for me from now on! Yes!" She smiled and continued to her duel.

* * *

Everyone left the Volcanic Pit where Jounouchi's duel with Zigfried took place, and arrived at the train station. Everyone got out except for Jounouchi, who was still sulking about his loss against Zigfried.

"I was knocked out of the tournament by a guy with pink hair!!" He cried out in anguish.

"Uh, yeah. A guy with pink hair who's an expert duelist!" Honda pointed out.

"I wanna be number one!" Jounouchi wailed.

"Oh, grow up! There will be other duels!" Kay said.

"You're not the one who's runner up every year!" Jounouchi snapped back at Kay.

"You're right! I win all my duels!" She said.  
Jounouchi glared at her.

"Well...they both got a point." Honda said. "In some ways."

"Think of it this way. Every match you lose, makes you a better duelist." Yugi said to Jounouchi, hoping it would make him feel better.

"Then Jounouchi should be the best by now." Otogi said with sarcasm.

Suddenly, Professor Hawkins ran up to the station.  
"Yugi! It's your grandfather!" He cried.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked.

"Did Mr. Motou ever make it to the medical center after he threw his back out?" Kristen asked.

"Solomon was there..." He said as he started to explain what happened.

Solomon was in pain on a bed in the medical center and Professor Hawkins left to go find a doctor. But he was distracted by terminal, showing Rebecca's duel. He watched it for a while, cheering for his granddaughter before realizing that he got distracted.

Once he had found a doctor and returned to Solomon's room, Solomon was gone!

"I wish I hadn't been distracted." Professor Hawkins said, looking ashamed.

"Don't sweat it! I'm sure Gramps is fine!" Jounouchi said, smiling. "He probably went out to get something to eat!"

"But Solomon was bearly able to move a muscle. So there's no way he could have gotten out of bed!" Professor Hawkins protested.

"Maybe someone came and helped him?" Anzu suggested.

"But who?" Kristen asked.

"Maybe it was a secret admirer!" Honda suggested.

Anzu hit him over the head.  
"Be serious!" She snapped.

"We need a plan. Mr. Motou might be in real trouble." Cat said.

"Yeah! Grandpa has the worse luck of anyone I know!" Jounouchi said.

They all stopped when they saw how worried Yugi looked.

"Yugi...I'm sure your grandfather is fine." Kristen said to him, smiling. "We'll find him, I'm sure of it."

Everyone agreed.

Yugi smiled a little. "Thanks." He said.

"You should go cheer for Rebecca, Professor Hawkins." Cat said.

"Yeah. We'll catch up to you later, as soon as we find Yugi's Grandpa." Kay said.

"Thank you. And good luck." Professor Hawkins said.

"Tell Rebecca we're all rooting for her!" Yugi said to him as everyone split up.

* * *

"HEY! GRAMPS! ARE YOU OUT HERE?" Jounouchi called.

He wandered through the jungle with Cat, who was also calling for Solomon.

"MR. MOTOU!" Honda called out as he looked around the train station.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" Otogi called as he searched the area near the roller coaster.

"Where could he be?" Anzu asked herself as she searched the gardens with Kay.

Yugi and Kristen ran by the trains, calling for Solomon.

Suddenly, an announcement came on.

"A short, stocky, elderly gentleman in overalls and a black headband has been separated from his loved ones. If anyone has a lost grandpa, he's waiting for them at the main gate."

Yugi and Kristen were at the jungle ruins by now. "That's my grandpa!" He exclaimed.

Everyone met up at the main gate, where the Blue-Eyes White Dragon statue was. But Solomon wasn't there.

"Where is he?" Yugi asked.

"The announcement said he should be here." Cat said.

"Hey...what's this?" Kristen asked, grabbing a scroll that was tied to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon statue's claw.

She opened it and everyone gathered around, looking at it.

"It's a map of Kaiba Land!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Hey, you're right!" Anzu said.

Cat pointed to a spot on the map. "And there's an "X" here..." She said.

"I'll bet you that's where Grandpa is!" Honda smiled.

"There's something that bugs me though. Why would your grandpa page us to come here, run and hide and leave a map so we can find him? It doesn't sound like him. I think someone set a trap for us." Otogi said.

Everyone looked a little surprised.

"Well I ain't falling for any trap!" Jounouchi snapped.

"If we want to save Yugi's Grandpa, we may have to." Otogi pointed out.

* * *

Everyone ran down the street.  
"Are we going the right way?" Honda asked.

"Only if that map is right!" Anzu replied.

"Mr. Motou should be just around the corner!" Kristen said, looking at the map.

"I hope he's all right." Cat said.

"Me too." Yugi agreed.

Everyone else agreed as well.

They turned a corner and stopped.

"This is the place." Kristen said, looking a the map and back at the building in front of them.

"A Chinese restaurant?!" Kay cried, surprised. "Why is Mr. Motou here?!"

"While we were running around like lunatics, Grandpa was eating wonton soup?!" Jounouchi cried angrily.

Yugi stepped up to the door.

"Be careful." Kristen said.

Yugi nodded and opened the door. "Grandpa?" He called inside.

All of the sudden, everyone gasped as they spotted Solomon! He was in Chinese clothes and he struck a huge gong with a mallet. Everyone had to cover their ears from the ringing noise as the interior lit up.

"Whoa! This is the biggest Chinese restaurant I've ever seen!" Kay exclaimed, glancing around once they were able to remove their hands from their ears. "Strange how it's empty, though."

It was several stories high inside, with balconies all around the building. And in the middle of the high ceiling, there was a carved dragon.  
All the tables were set with all sorts of Chinese dishes.

Jounouchi and Honda drooled before running towards the food.

"STOP!" A voice cried.

Jounouchi and Honda froze and looked up to where the voice came from. It was Vivian Wong!

She was standing on the highest balcony in a kung-fu pose. "I didn't see your names on the guest list!" She said.

"It's Vivian!" They all exclaimed.

"She led us here?" Otogi asked.

"But why?" Yugi asked as well.

"It's because Vivian's nuts." Anzu and Kay said at the same time as they watched Vivian continue to prance about on the balcony she was on, holding a fan in each hand, making kicks and jumps.

"Hey! Why don't you come down here and tell us what's going on?" Jounouchi called to her.

Promptly, Vivian hopped off the balcony. Jounouchi and Honda clutched each other in horror and everyone gasped.

"Oh no! She's falling!" Jounouchi cried, but then calmed down. "Really...slowly."

Vivian floated down towards the floor.  
"Vivian's got a little helper." Kay said, pointed out Solomon standing at the side, lowering Vivian down on a rope.

Solomon then noticed them starting at him.

"Grandpa?" Yugi asked.

"This is gettin' weird!" Jounouchi cried.

"Grandpa, what are you doing?" Yugi asked.

Solomon became flustered and let go of the rope, causing Vivian to fall. "I-I can explain!" He cried.

Vivian cried out as she tumbled to the floor, landing face first.

She quickly stood up. "You had ONE simple job!" She snapped at Solomon.

"I-I'm sorry! Please give me another chance!" Solomon begged.

"He works for her?" Jounouchi asked.

"Grandpa, did Vivian kidnap you? Or did you plan this together?" Yugi asked.

"Forget about that old man! I wanted to talk about you, Yugi, and myself." Vivian said and snapped her fingers. Solomon hit the gong again. "Welcome, Yugi! To the real Grand Championship tournament! Where you and I are going to duke it out for the crown!"

"Give it up!" Anzu said to her angrily.

"You had your chance." Kristen said, frowning a little. Even she was getting annoyed at Vivian.

"That's right. Rebecca Hawkins beat you." Kay said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Vivian. "And only the winner of the tournament gets the title shot. And you blew it."

"Yeah? Well I'm starting my own tournament! And the first match is me against Yugi!" Vivian protested.

"I'm sorry, but it's against Kaiba's tournament rules." Yugi said to her.

"Yugi! The right thing to do is duel Vivian." Solomon said to Yugi.

"Vivian must have hypnotized Gramps! That or...he has a crush on her." Jounouchi said.

Solomon blushed and waved his hands.

"L-Let me explain!" He cried. "After Professor Hawkins left my hospital room, Vivian came by!"

He continued to explain that Vivian offered to help Solomon with his back if he agreed to help her out. He agreed to help her and she used a kung-fu chop to put his back, back into place. Even though it hurt a lot.

"If it hadn't been for Vivian, I wouldn't be standing here! So I owe her a favor. And that's why I led you kids here." Solomon explained.

"And you turned your back on your grandson." Honda added.

"To think I once looked up to Gramps! He's forgotten what's important!" Jounouchi grumbled.

"You're right." Yugi agreed.

Solomon slumped, starting to feel bad.  
"I'm sorry...you kids are right." He said.

"Oh? Going back on our deal, huh?" Vivian asked him angrily before hitting him in the back, causing his back to go out again.

Solomon cried out in pain and fell to the ground, curling up in pain.

"If you want your grandpa to walk upright again, you'll have to duel me." Vivian said to Yugi.

"That's a dirty trick!" Cat cried.

"I know! I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!" Vivian agreed and jumped up on top of one of the tables. "What will it be? Your grandfather or me?"

"Yugi, don't worry! We can save Grandpa without her help!" Jounouchi said.

"I don't know how though." Yugi said.

Yami appeared next to Yugi in spirit.  
"Your grandfather needs us. We have no choice but to duel." He said.

"Yeah." Yugi agreed before switching with him.

Yami jumped up onto one of the tables as well, ready to duel.

"I knew you couldn't resist my charm." Vivian said with a grin. "Here's the deal. If I lose, I'll fix your grandfather's back. But if I win, you and me go on a date!"

Cat frowned at Vivian. She was starting to get angry.

Anzu started to steam.

"Yugi doesn't like you AND HE NEVER WILL!" She shouted at Vivian.

"Whoa...calm down there." Jounouchi said, sweatdropping.

"Fine. I accept." Yami said.

"It's no problem. Yugi can duel circles around her." Otogi said.

"Don't count on it!" Vivian warned and the duel began.

It was a while later and it seemed a bit obvious that Jounouchi and Honda were hungry. They were busy stuffing their faces with the Chinese food, sitting on the ground behind a table. They were soon hit by a stuffed toy panda that Anzu threw at them. She crawled up to them.

"How can you two be eating now?!" She snapped. "Yugi needs us!"

"Relax and try the chicken!" Honda said with a grin.

"Yeah! This food is great!" Jounouchi said.

Anzu sighed and gave up.  
"What kind?" She asked, annoyed.

"Sesame!" The two boys said happily at the same time.

Kay looked down at the two boys.

"You guys are hopeless." She said.

But it wasn't long until the duel was over. Yami had won.

Yami then switched with Yugi as Vivian fell to her knees, crying.

"Okay Vivian. Pay up." Yugi said. "Grandpa is waiting."

Solomon was still curled up on the floor in pain.  
"Thank you, Yugi." He said.

* * *

The gang finally made it to Rebecca's duel, but it wasn't long after until she lost.

At the Kaiba Dome, Leon, whom Rebecca was dueling against, was announced the winner.

One of Kaiba's employees came into the control room where Kaiba was.

"We've completed our investigation of Zigfried Lloyd and it seems your assumptions were correct." He said.

Kaiba looked at the screens, showing the duels.

"Zigfried's little game is over." He said.

* * *

Rebecca hung her head.

"Don't sweat it. You played a great duel." Leon said, trying to make her feel better.

"I don't need your pity! But thank you anyways. And don't let it go to your head. There's a long way to go." Rebecca said to him.

Yugi approached Rebecca. "You did great. Good job." He said.

"Thank you, Yugi!" She said happily before she started to cry and flung herself onto him. "I wanted to win so badly!"

"Why must she be so dramatic?" Solomon asked.

"Look who's talking!" Jounouchi, Honda, Otogi, Anzu and Kay all said to him at the same time.

Solomon put on a defeated grin as Rebecca continued to cry on Yugi's shoulder.

* * *

"We are now at the final duel of the KC Grand Championship! It will be between Leon Wilson and Zigfried Lloyd! The winner of this bout will face Yugi Motou for the championship crown! History may be made in the next few hours, here in the Kaiba Dome!" Roland announced.

The Dome opened up, letting sunlight enter the arena. "Let the KC Grand Championship finals begin!" Roland cried into the microphone.

Everyone's cheers suddenly paused when the noticed a helicopter flying above the Dome with Kaiba suspended from it on a ladder. Everyone watched open mouthed.

"What's HE doing here?" Jounouchi asked.

"Just dropping by?" Yugi suggested.

"He wasn't scheduled to be here, though!" Mokuba added in.

The helicopter lowered Kaiba to the dueling arena where he jumped down and set down his metal briefcase. This time, he was in the outfit he wore in Battle City.

"Stop the duel! As president of Kaiba Corp, I declare this match invalid!" He announced.

The crowd started to give cries of disappointment and confusement.

"What?! He can't rip us off like that!" Jounouchi snapped.

"I don't get it." Leon said, confused.

"As a result of disqualification, the winner of this duel is Leon Wilson!" Kaiba continued.

"What's going on?" Honda asked Mokuba.

"I honestly don't know." Mokuba replied.

"Is there any particular reason for this?" Zigfried asked Kaiba, innocently.

"You broke my tournament contract by entering the tournament under a false name! Your real name is Zigfried von Schroeder, of the Schroeder Corporation!" Kaiba said to him angrily.

Kay blinked. "Seto didn't know who he was?" She asked. "It's obvious they've met before."

Yugi turned to his grandfather.

"Wasn't that an old gaming company?" Yugi asked him.

"It still is. You just don't hear about it much anymore. Once Kaiba Corp. became number one, everyone forgot about the Schroeders." Solomon explained.

"Do you think Zigfried joined to get revenge?" Anzu asked.

"Most likely. And according to recent events, he's here for "someone else" as well." Yugi said, looking at Cat who looked down at her lap, looking a little uneasy.

"_That has to be the reason why Zigfried is approaching me. He probably thinks that he can get to Kay or the Kaibas through me. If that's the case, he's strongly mistaken._" Cat thought to herself.

"I never trusted you from the start! And my instincts are never wrong!" Kaiba continued to snap at Zigfried. "It all makes sense! Kaiba Corp's biggest rival joins the tournament and suddenly everything goes haywire! Coincidence? I don't think so. But since I'm a nice guy, I won't have you arrested for trespassing and fraud, under one condition. You get out of my life and take you bad hair with you!"

Solomon sweatdropped because he entered under a false name as well.

Kay sweatdropped as well. "There he goes. I can see the word, "Egoman" forming on Seto's back...again." She said with a crooked smile.

"If you ever come near me again, I'll destroy what's left of your pathetic company!" Kaiba snapped.

Zigfried only laughed. "So you've finally exposed to the public for what you are...a complete coward! The truth is, that you're afraid of my superior skills, so you're hiding behind a technicality instead of facing me. And now the whole world knows!" He said. "But I don't blame you for throwing me out. You know that if I won the tournament and became the world champion, you would never get the title back."

Kaiba only smiled. "I'm throwing you out because I don't like you. Not because I'm scared of you." He said calmly. "I promised myself I wouldn't duel in this tournament, but now that I have a chance to embarrass you, those plans have changed!"

"Kaiba's going to duel Zigfried!" Yugi cried.

"There's never a dull moment." Rebecca sighed.

"Fine. I accept your challenge. But if I win, I get to stay." Zigfried said.

"And if you lose, you disappear, never to be heard from again." Kaiba said.

"I don't know about this..." Yugi said in an unsure way.

"I'm sure my brother will win!" Mokuba said.

"Roland, hold my briefcase." Kaiba said as he took out his deck and Duel Disk from the briefcase. "This shouldn't take long." He plugged his Duel Disk to the dueling platform. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"I wouldn't miss the chance to destroy my arch-rival in front of the entire world." Zigfried answered.

The shuffled each other's decks.

"So who should go first? There's only one fair way to decide." Zigfried said, flipping a coin.

"It's your call." Kaiba said.

"I choose heads." Zigfried said and looked at the coin, which was indeed heads. "Ah, lucky me. But since I'm feeling kind, you can go first, Heir Kaiba."

"I never knew you were so kind. I'll have to return the favor." Kaiba said sarcastically.

"There's no need." Zigfried said.

"I insist." Kaiba replied.

"Sheesh. Those two have a weird way of telling each other off." Kay said.

"There has been a slight change of plans! The tournament host, Seto Kaiba, will face off against Zigfried von Schroeder!" Roland announced to the crowd.

"Seto! Show this circus freak who's boss!" Mokuba shouted to Kaiba.

"Yeah! And get hid of his nasty pink hair!" Kay shouted along with Mokuba.

Everyone sweatdropped.

Leon walked up to everyone, joining them.

"What's next?" He asked. "Am I going to duel against Yugi or Zigfried?"

"I guess it depends on how well Kaiba does in this next duel." Anzu said.

"I hope Kaiba wins." Leon said.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get your chance no matter who wins." Kristen said with a smile.

"Unless you want to give me your place in the tournament." Rebecca added in, grinning.

"I'll pass." Leon chuckled.

"As much as I can't stand Kaiba, anyone's better than that pink-haired sideshow freak, Zigfried." Jounouchi said.

Everyone agreed and the duel started.

* * *

**Yup...nothing much else to say...eh-heh...  
Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	39. The End of the KC Grand Championship

"I'm glad you came, Zigfried. Because now I have a chance to publicly humiliate you again." Kaiba said smugly. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Attack Zigfried directly and wipe out the rest of his life points!"

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon launched the attack and it was over. Zigfried lost the duel.

Zigfried fell to his knees.

"This isn't over!" He growled as he held onto a magic card with a golden castle on it.

During the duel, Zigfried ended up sharing his story. How Kaiba Corp. humiliated his family. And how he believes Kaiba stole his virtual Duel Monsters plans.  
Also about how hard he worked for years to get back at Kaiba.

"Face it! Your life points hit zero! That's about as over as it get. Now you should take what's left of your dignity and get lost!" Kaiba called to Zigfried.

Mokuba grinned.

"Zigfried's history!" He said.

"Let's hope so." Yugi said.

"YES! Now maybe we don't have to look at his ugly hair anymore!" Kay said grinning. "Way to go, Seto!"

Leon looked on sadly at the duel arena while Kaiba laughed triumphantly.

"Can you believe that guy?! He entered the tournament just to publicly humiliate Kaiba!" Rebecca said.

"Well, he did have his reasons." Leon said.

"But when Zigfried started endangering people's lives, he stepped over the line." Honda pointed out, referring to the virus he triggered earlier that day.

Cat put a hand to her chest and sighed, hoping that this was the last of Zigfried.

"I wonder if all that stuff Zigfried said about Kaiba stealing his invention was true. He seemed pretty bitter." Yugi wondered.

Yami appeared next to Yugi in spirit.  
"Kaiba may be competitive, but he's not a thief. His accomplishments are a result of his drive and determination." He said.

The dueling stations descended to the arena floor and Kaiba jumped out.

"I think Zigfried was blinded by jealousy. He spent his entire life trying to outdo Kaiba. But he was always one step behind." Yami continued.

Kaiba started to walk away and both Mokuba and Kay followed him.

"Hey bro! Awesome dueling!" He said with a smile.

Kay smacked his back happily.  
"Great job! I was sick of seeing Zigfried!" She said.

"Ow..." Kaiba mummered. "I hope that defeating that wannabe sent a message to the rest of our competitors that Kaiba Corp. is not a company to be messed with. Next time, I won't be so friendly."

Kaiba stopped next to Roland. "Roland, announce the start of the championship match-up."

"Should we have security remove Zigfried from the park?" Roland asked.

"That won't be necessary. I want Zigfried to see what he missed out on, so give him a good seat for the next duel." Kaiba said and laughed again before stopping. "Funny."

Kay sweatdropped.  
"You're strange sometimes, Seto." She said and sighed. "You're letting Zigfried stay here for the rest of the tournament? Ugh...I don't want him approaching me."

"You know Zigfried?" Kaiba asked, looking at Kay as the three started to walk. Kay nodded.

"He visited my uncle at Industrial Illusions a few years ago when I was still staying with my uncle. Uncle Pegasus was unable to see him so Zigfried, after finding out I was Pegasus' niece, tried to charm me so I could help him see my uncle." Kay explained. "Of course, it didn't work."

Kaiba frowned grimly.

"Good." He said. "If Zigfried ever laid his hands on you, I'd only have more reasons to completely wipe his company off the face of the planet."

Kay blinked.

"So...basically, you would be jealous?" She asked.

Kaiba suddenly looked a little flustered, but tried to keep his face normal. Kay could have sworn she saw him blush a little.

"Th-That's not it at all! If his charms worked on you, you'd probably be working for his company and Industrial Illusions would team up with him! A-And Kaiba Corp. would be in trouble." He said, trying to quickly cover up.

But Kay smiled, catching on.

"Whatever you say, Seto." She laughed.

Zigfried fumed as Kaiba, Kay and Mokuba headed off.

"The final match of the Grand Championship, featuring the boy wonder, Leaping Leon Wilson!" Roland announced to the cheering crowd.

Leon looked a little nervous as the crowd around him cheered for him.

"Leon will be facing off against the reigning international Duel Monsters champion, the King of Games, Yugi Motou!" Roland finished. "This will be a duel to remember!"

Zigfried stayed at his dueling station, laughing to himself. He held up the card he held in his hand.

"The championship duel is about to begin in Kaiba Land's Blue-Eyes Fortress!" Roland announced.

It was a castle near the Kaiba Dome.

* * *

Everyone was gathered on a high balcony, overlooking the dueling stage.

"Mokuba, you hooked us up with the best seats in the house!" Anzu said happily.

"It was nothing. Let's just say I know some people who know some people." Mokuba said with a grin. "Later, maybe I'll take you guys backstage to meet the stars."

Anzu laughed.

"Wow, you really are a big shot." She said.

"Hey! The duel is starting! I'm going to cheer the loudest for my Yugi!" Rebecca cried happily.

"You do that." Anzu said in a dull tone.

* * *

Leon walked up a similar stairway. He stopped when he spotted Zigfried, who stood in the doorway at the top of the stairs, waiting for him.

"What are you doing here?" Leon asked, surprised.

Zigfried smiled and held out a card to him.

"Take it. It might bring you luck." He said.

Leon hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take the card.

* * *

Crowds of people gathered below the fortress.

"Welcome to the final duel of the KC Grand Championship!" Roland announced from the dueling stage.  
A blimp flew overhead, filming the duel to broadcast all over the world.

Other people in cities gathered in the streets to watch the final duel on a large screen.

Mai was on one of the streets and she stopped to watch Yami take the stage.

* * *

Leon came out onto the stage with a fierce expression on his face.

"Let's do this!" He said in a tough tone. "I fought long and hard to get here! It's always been my dream to meet you...and now that I have, I've got a new dream. To defeat you!"

"The duel is ready to begin! Who will be the champion?" Roland continued.

Yami and Leon shuffled each others decks. Yami held Leon's deck to him. "Good luck, Leon." He said.

Leon grimaced and snatched his deck back before returning to his side of the field.

"I don't need luck!" He snapped.

Yami looked confused at Leon's sudden snap and headed back to his side of the field.

"To kick off the festivities, we have a special individual!" Roland announced.

Jounouchi grinned into the camera that was there, until Mokuba angrily pushed him out of the way. "Roland is talking about my bro!" He snapped and pointed up to the next balcony where Kaiba stood with Kay.

"Leave it to Kaiba to make this whole tournament about him." Jounouchi grumbled.

"Well, Kaiba DID organize it and paid for it and build the theme park to host it...so I'd say it is all about him." Otogi pointed out.

"The only thing Kaiba didn't do in this tournament is duel." Kristen said.

"My brother wanted to participate in this tournament more than anything, but he was too busy opening Kaiba Land and improving our company's image. Seto is the only one who really deserves to face Yugi." Mokuba said.

"I don't know if I'd go that far...I coulda been a contender." Jounouchi grumbled.

"Oh, please! You lost at your second duel! I almost beat Leon and now he's got the title shot!" Rebecca snapped.

"If my brother had dueled in this tournament from the beginning, he would have blown them all away!" Mokuba said.

"The KC Grand Championship tournament was designed with one thing in mind! Finding the only person, besides myself, who deserves to be called the greatest duelist in the world! So these two competitors will face off in one final battle to determine just that! Now! Start the duel!" Kaiba announced.

The duel started.

As it went on, everyone was noticing Leon's strange behavior.

"What's up with Leon?" Cat asked.

"Ever since the duel started, he's been acting like a jerk!" Rebecca said.

"_For once, I agree with the dorks. I've been watching the competitors closely since the tournament began and something definitely seems different about that kid. I don't trust him._" Kaiba thought to himself.

Yugi appeared next to Yami in spirit. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Leon's not acting like himself out here." He said.

"True...Leon does seem a bit angry. What could have happened?" Yami agreed.

"Maybe the pressure is getting to him?" Yugi suggested.

"I don't know...but the duel must go on." Yami said.

* * *

Back at the Kaiba Dome, one of Kaiba's employees screamed in anguish as he studied the computer readouts on Leon.

"How could I have missed it?! Mr. Kaiba is going to go ballistic!" He cried before running frantically from the control room.

* * *

"You know...Leon seemed to be having more fun when he dueled me." Rebecca said as the duel continued.

"What's changed?" Anzu asked.

"He's dueling for the championship title now." Jounouchi pointed out.

"Being nervous about a big duel is one thing. But acting like a total creep is another." Rebecca said. "Leon's been waiting to duel Yugi for years, so you'd think he'd at least crack a smile."

Just then, the panicking employee ran onto the balcony that Kaiba was on.

"Mr. Kaiba! You have to take a look at this!" He cried, handing Kaiba some papers.

Kaiba took the papers and looked through them.

"I ran another background check on Leon Wilson." The employee explained.

Kaiba looked surprised.

"This has got to be some kind of joke!" He cried.

The three heard laughing behind them and turned around to see Zigfried.  
"It's true." He said.

"Was this a part of your twisted plan?" Kaiba asked.

"Yes. But it took you long enough to figure it out." Zigfried said.

"So throwing your life away wasn't good enough? You had to drag your own brother down with you?!" Kaiba asked.

Everyone gasped when they heard this.

"It's all true. Leon Wilson, is in reality, Leonhard von Schroeder!" Zigfried announced, stepping out onto the balcony. "Leon! It's time to reveal the real reason you entered this tournament!"

"Whatever you say, bro!" Leon said.

"This is insane!" Yugi cried while still in spirit form.

"All I had to do was make you think that I was the real threat to the tournament. While Kaiba was intent on stopping me, Leon was quietly climbing the ranks of the competition, virtually unopposed! And now, a von Schroeder is about to win it all! Kaiba Corp's biggest rival is about to reign victorious in Kaiba's own tournament!" Zigfried explained. "Just as Schroeder Corp. is about to release our new gaming system. Just imagine the publicity my new game will get when my brother defeats the King of Games himself!"

"So you sabotaged my tournament just to sell a few lousy games?!" Kaiba snapped.

"If anyone knows about lousy games, it's you, Heir Kaiba. You've had your moments at the top, so now it's time for you to step aside. As soon as my brother is crowned world champion, the new age of Schroeder Corp. will begin!" Zigfried answered.

"The duel isn't over yet!" Jounouchi snapped.

"Yugi won't lose!" Kristen insisted.

Kay stepped forward, clenching her fists.

"Okay, Zigfreak! Listen up! If you don't want your company to be destroyed, then you'll back off right now!" She snapped. "Even if Seto's company loses power, Industrial Illusions will never let you get away with this!"

Zigfried smirked.  
"Well then, I'm glad you still remember me, my dear Kay." He said.

Kay glared at him.  
"How could I forget that ugly pink hair?" She growled.

Zigfried chuckled.

"I'm not worried, my dear. I've already considered the possibility of you using your power to turn Industrial Illusions against me. Especially since you're working with Heir Kaiba. And it's only fair to warn you that I have a plan in case that happens." He said with a dark grin.

Kay winced and Kaiba stepped in front of Kay.  
"If you're planning anything even remotely close to what I think you're planning, then I'm not afraid to take you down right here, right now!" He snapped.

Zigfried only laughed.

"Should I stop the duel?" Roland asked Kaiba.

"If you disqualify Leon now, you'll be breaking the rules of your own competition. Duels in progress cannot be stopped. Plus, if you pull the plug before a new champion is named, then the entire tournament was nothing more than a giant waste of time. But that's only one man's opinion. You do what you think is right, Heir Kaiba." Zigfried pointed out.

Kay continued to glare at him angrily. "You know, you're really starting to get on my nerves!" She growled.

Kaiba laughed.

"There's a little problem with your plan! There's only one duelist in the world who's talented enough to beat Yugi. And that's me. Your plan only works if Yugi loses. I think Leon has as much chance of winning as your company has of succeeding!" He said.

"The duel will continue as scheduled! May the best duelist win!" Roland said.

Kaiba watched the duel, smiling.

"Leon! Prove your worth as a von Schroeder and crush Yugi Motou! Just as we rehearsed it!" Zigfried called down to Leon.

"I won't let you down, bro!" Leon replied.

"I can't believe it! That means everything Leon told us about his dreams of becoming a champion duelist was a big lie!" Yugi exclaimed.

"I'll get to the bottom of this." Yami said. "Leon! Are you really here to destroy Kaiba Corp? Or are you letting your brother control who you are? The truth will set you free!"

"Don't let these do-gooders turn you against me! They'll never know what our family has been through! Crush Yugi and obtain the championship title you deserve!" Zigfried called to Leon. "It's your duty as a Schroeder!"

"Right. I knew Yugi would say that dueling for revenge is wrong, but my brother never asked for my help before. And now, for the first time ever, Zigfried needs me! I'm sorry, but I can't let my brother down." Leon explained. "Ever since I could remember, Zigfried had been the most important member of our family."

Leon went on to explain that he never got to spend time with his older brother. Zigfried was always studying to become the next owner of Schroeder Corp. So Leon spent most of his time, as a child, playing and collecting Duel Monsters.

As he grew older, he started entering tournaments and winning them. He changed his name so his family wouldn't find out. Until one day, after Leon won a tournament, Zigfried caught him.

But Zigfried promised he wouldn't reveal Leon's secret to the rest of the family and acknowledged his little brother for the first time.

"I'm not just fighting for myself, I'm fighting for my whole family!" Leon explained.

"Leon was brainwashed into dueling! He should play for his love of the game, not for his family's vengeance!" Yugi exclaimed.

"I believe, deep down, Leon knows that too." Yami said.

* * *

As the long duel continued, Leon ended up playing the card Zigfried gave him before he entered the dueling arena. The Golden Castle of Stromberg. A card that was never finished and never released.

It was an unstoppable card that couldn't be destroyed by effect cards, monster cards, trap cards or magic cards. Nothing! But it was only like that because Zigfried had made it that way. Not only did he do that, but he added a virus onto the card that started to attack Kaiba Corp's systems! It was starting to erase all of Kaiba Corp's files and information.

Once Leon discovered that he had played an illegal card, he immediately started to regret it and didn't want to continue the duel if he was going to cheat.

But Yami encouraged Leon to continue the duel. He had a plan.

One of the effects of the Golden Castle of Stromberg, was that the opponent had to discard half of their deck into the card graveyard in order to keep the Golden Castle of Stromberg on the field. And the opponent didn't have a choice. Yami ended up finding a way of destroying the illegal card by only having one card left in his deck. Thus he was unable to discard half of his deck like the card required.  
And much to Zigfried's dismay, the Golden Castle of Stromberg was destroyed and was no longer in effect.

Yami ended up winning the duel in the end.

Everyone cheered.

"That's my grandson!" Solomon cried happily.

"Yugi never ceases to amaze me!" Professor Hawkins said cheerfully.

Zigfried became horrified. "I...I'm ruined!" He cried.

Yami walked up to Leon. "Well done." He said.

"Thanks." Leon said, tears streaming out of his eyes.

"You fought with honor and under the toughest of circumstances. And you never gave up. You should be proud." Yami said.

Leon then clung to Yami, sobbing. Yami smiled at him.

"Stop your whimpering!" Zigfried snapped as he walked onto the field. "It wasn't a total loss! It will take years of reprogramming for Kaiba Corp. to restore what my devastating virus has destroyed! And in the meantime..." He was cut off.

"You'll what?" Kaiba asked, returning to the balcony with Kay. He and Kay had left earlier to try and stop the virus. "Take all of my business away? You might have had a chance if you plan actually worked. The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were a snake. So I prepared for your little scheme. My entire computer network has already been restored. The only loser here is Zigfried."

"I...I don't believe it!" Zigfried cried. "My strategy was flawless!"

Leon walked up to his brother.  
"Even if your plan did work, nothing would have changed. Can't you see that our family's obsession with the Kaiba's has ruined us?" He asked.

Zigfried fell to his knees.

"What has ruined us is that I'm weak." He said.

"That's the first sensible thing he's said all week." Kaiba said. Kay laughed.

Leon kneeled in front of Zigfried. "It's not our family's losses that hurt us. It's our attitude. Dueling Yugi has taught me that real strength is sticking with it when everyone expects you to quit. We may lose some of our business to Kaiba Corp, but losing is a reason to try harder. Not to give up. So let's go home and make Schroeder Corp. the best company we can!" He said with a smile.

Zigfried looked up. "Thank you." He said and the two brothers embraced.

Yami and Yugi watched, smiling. They nodded to each other.

Cat smiled a little.

"_I guess deep down, Zigfried isn't all that bad of a guy. As long as he's not being controlled by his anger, jealousy and bitterness._" She thought to herself before sighing in relief. "_And at least he won't be trying to use me anymore._"

"Wrap this up." Kaiba said to Roland.

Roland nodded.

"The KC Grand Championship has come to a close! The winner, and still world champ, is Yugi Motou!" He announced.

All the crowds cheered...except for Weevil and Rex, who huddled together, sulking.

Mai watched on one of the big screens in the city as people around her chanted Yugi's name. She smiled.

* * *

Everyone gathered at the airport.

"That was fun...but I'm ready to go back home." Jounouchi said.

"I'm ready for a home-cooked meal!" Honda said.

"Let's not drag out this goodbye. I'll be in your neighborhood in a few weeks." Otogi said with a smile.

"Why?" Jounouchi asked.

Otogi winked.

"I've got a date with Shizuka." He replied.

Both Jounouchi and Honda jumped him angrily.

"What I wouldn't give to be young again!" Professor Hawkins chuckled as he watched the boys wrestle.

"I still feel limber!" Solomon said happily...before his back promptly went out again.

Cat yawned. "I'm tired...it'll be nice to be home again." She said, smiling.

"Agreed." Kay nodded. "Even though this was supposed to be something like a vacation, I feel like I need another one! But at home this time."

"Me too." Kristen agreed.

"Remember Yugi! You promised to e-mail me twice a day and visit every weekend." Rebecca said with a smile.

Yugi smiled weakly.

"Sure..." He said and offered his hand for a handshake, but instead, Rebecca flung her arms around him.

"I'll miss you!" She said and then looked at Anzu, who was twitching angrily behind them. "And I'll miss you too, Anzu." She said sticking her tounge out playfully.

Anzu's eyebrow twitched. "I'll bet." She said.

Mokuba then ran up to them.

"What are you guys doing here? I hooked you up with the Kaiba Corp. jet, so the least you can do is be on time!" He said.

Jounouchi looked at his watch.

"Oh! Its it time already?" He asked.

Everyone grabbed their stuff and ran to the jet, saying their goodbyes.

"So now that you won the championship, what's next, Yug?" Jounouchi asked as the jet took off.

"The sky's the limit!" Yugi replied.

* * *

**And the KC Grandchampionship is over! Yaaay! :D  
Next up is the Memory World/Dawn of the Duel/ Millennium World Saga! Whoo!  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D **


	40. Tales of Egypt

"When I regained consciousness, something felt different. It was as if the darkness had somehow lifted! I found myself lying on the walkway, safe and sound. As I struggled to my feet, I noticed that I was alone. My last guide that had shot my in the shoulder was gone! And so was the spirit of the Pharaoh, who rescued me! I looked over at the golden box at the end of the walkway. It lit up as I picked it up. "I'll always keep it safe." I said. And inside the box, contained the pieces of your Millennium Puzzle!"

Yugi and Cat blinked.

It was nighttime and Cat had come to Yugi's house earlier for more Duel Monster lessons. The Pharaoh, who was teaching her, returned to the Millennium Puzzle when they were finished.

It was a few days since everyone returned to Domino City and Yugi was planning his trip to Egypt to help the Pharaoh find his memories.

Tomorrow was the day of departure and Yugi had asked his grandfather to tell him about his younger days when he was in Egypt. Since Cat hadn't left yet, they invited her to listen to the stories as well.

"Grandpa...did you really do all that?" Yugi asked.

Solomon laughed. "I might have exaggerated just a bit." He said. "Does your sudden interest in my old adventures have anything to do with tomorrow's trip?"

"Of course! Before we head off to Egypt, I want to learn everything I can about it." Yugi said with a smile and looked down at his Puzzle.

"But that's pretty amazing that you did all that, Mr. Motou. And the fact that you were rescued by the Pharaoh was pretty cool too." Cat said, smiling.

Solomon chuckled again.

"You think so?" He asked.

Cat nodded.

"Hey Grandpa...do you still remember where the Pharaoh's tomb is?" Yugi asked.

"I don't. I hired those two guides to find it for me. The Valley of the Kings is bigger than you'd think and most of those caves look exactly the same." Solomon replied.  
Yugi sighed in disappointment.  
"I was looking forward to seeing the spot where you found the Millennium Puzzle." He said.

"I would stay out of that place, if I were you." Solomon said. "Hey...Yugi? Can I have one last look at the Egyptian God cards?"

Yugi and Cat sweatdropped.

"What? But it's your fifth time!" Yugi protested.

"But the thought of being without them makes me so sad." Solomon said with a puppy face.

Yugi sighed again and grabbed a golden box, which once held the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle, out of his bag, handing it to Solomon.

Solomon took the God cards out and gushed over them.

"Okay Grandpa, you need to give them back now." Yugi said.

"No! Never! I don't want to return them!" Solomon said like a child. "Leave them with me!"

Yugi was finally able to snatch them back.

"You know better than that!" He scolded. "The Pharaoh needs these cards!"

"I'm sorry..." Solomon apologized, sulking a little. "That's why the Pharaoh saved me."

"_For some reason, when the Pharaoh was sealed away in that tomb, his memory was wiped clean. So he waited 3,000 years until fate brought him to Yugi._" Solomon thought to himself. "_Yugi is the one person with the power to help the Pharaoh regain everything he lost. But...I'm also curious about Cat too...with her cartouche and all._"

He glanced at Cat who was still sitting at the table, spacing out.

Solomon then stood up and put his hands on Yugi's shoulders. "He who holds the Millennium Puzzle, holds the legacy of the Pharaoh. And that's no small task." He said with a serious look.

"I know." Yugi said, returning the serious look.

"My adventure is done. But yours has only just begun. Treat every challenge you face like a game. Trust your instincts and you'll come out on top." Solomon said.

"Playing games is what I do best!" Yugi replied with a determined smile.

Solomon smiled. "That's my grandson." He said and then looked over at Cat, who was still spacing out. "Cat."

Cat blinked, returning to reality.

"Y-Yes?" She asked.

"You too. You must trust your instincts as well." Solomon said.

Cat tried to put on a determined smile.

"Yes!" She said with a nod.

Solomon smiled. "Well, I'm heading to bed. Goodnight you two." He said before leaving.

"Goodnight." Both Yugi and Cat said at the same time.

Cat stood up and looked over at Yugi.  
"I should probably be on my way too." She said. "Goodnight."

Yugi smiled and nodded. "Goodnight." He said.

* * *

Rain poured down onto the skylight window in Yugi's room. Yugi laid in bed, sleeping.

Lightening flashed and then Weevil and Rex appeared, looking through the skylight window with evil grins.

"This is it! The Egyptian God cards will finally be in the hands of someone who deserves them!" Weevil said, looking through the window.

"So you're admitting that the cards belong to me." Rex said.

"Dream on." Weevil replied as he raised a rock and broke the window.

The noise caused Yugi to wake up, only to see a hand reaching through the window and grabbing his bag, which held the Millennium Items he had gathered so far and the God cards.

"STOP!" Yugi yelled at them as he rushed through the front door, still in his pajamas and bare feet.

He chased after them.

Rex and Weevil stopped in an alleyway and they gasped for breath.

"I've got to take a look at those things!" Weevil said, opening the bag. He suddenly looked surprised to find the Millennium Items in it.

The Millennium Ring, which was lying on the top, glowed brightly and rose out of the bag, flying to the end of the alley. Someone caught it.

"Hey! You! You'd better not be after the God cards!" Rex warned him.

"I already have what I'm after." The man said, putting the ring around his neck. It was Yami Bakura!

He grinned evilly. Weevil and Rex's cry's could be heard.

Yugi ran into the alley where he heard the cry and spotted Yami Bakura standing over Rex and Weevil's unconscious bodies.

"Bakura? Is that you?" Yugi asked.

"Guess again." Yami Bakura said.

"What have you done to them?" Yugi asked.

"They got what they deserved. They had something that didn't belong to them." Yami Bakura explained. "So of course I handed out punishment."

Yugi looked horrified.

"You should be grateful." Yami Bakura said, tossing Yugi his bag back.

Yugi checked to see if the God cards were still there. They were, thankfully.

"It seems they're safe and sound. But just so you know, I'm keeping one of the items." Yami Bakura said, showing him the Millennium Ring. "I wasn't quite ready to part with it yet."

"Give it back! The Millennium Items belong together!" Yugi said.

"Eventually, they will be. You ought to concentrate on gathering the other items instead of pestering me. When the time is right, I'll give you the Millennium Ring. We share a common goal. We both want all seven items returned to their resting place within the Millennium Stone." Yami Bakura said.

"I don't trust you." Yugi said. "I'm collecting the Millennium Items so I can help the Pharaoh."

"Do you think I have a different goal in mind?" Yami Bakura asked. "Believe what you wish, but remember that I know things about the past that the Pharaoh has forgotten. I know that when the seven Millennium Items are returned to the stone, a doorway to the spirit world will open."

Yugi looked down at the Millennium Puzzle. "I wonder if the spirit world is where the Pharaoh belongs." He said to himself before looking back up to Bakura. "When this doorway is opened, will the Pharaoh be set free?"

"Now you're catching on." Yami Bakura said. "Don't you want to help your friend? His spirit's been trapped in the Puzzle for 3,000 years."

"Of course I do." Yugi said.

Suddenly the puzzle activated and Yami took over.

"Stop poisoning Yugi's mind!" He said sternly.

"Have you come to bury the hatchet and join forces?" Yami Bakura asked.

"You know better than that." Yami replied.

"I know why you hate me. The two of us are more alike than you care to admit." Yami Bakura said.

Yami frowned.

"We're nothing alike!" He said.

"We're both 3,000 year old spirits inhabiting the body of a civilian. The only difference is that I remember my past, while all your mind contains is an endless labyrinth of questions. Your life is nothing more than a puzzle wrapped in a game. And I know the solution. The only way you can solve the game is to play a game." Yami Bakura pointed out.

"I don't know if you're telling the truth, but I'll do whatever it takes to unlock my mind." Yami said.

"Good luck. You'll need it when the ultimate Shadow Game begins." Yami Bakura said and turned to leave, thinking to himself that the encounter went exactly as planned. It was now time for phase two.

Yami watched him leave until he was out of sight.

"Yugi, what are you doing out here?!"

Yami turned around to find Cat standing at the other end of the alley.

"Huh? Oh...you're not Yugi." Cat said. She was holding a few plastic bags and was wearing a raincoat.

"I could ask you the same thing." Yami said.

Cat smiled a little, looking at her bags.

"After I left the Game Shop, I remembered there was a couple of things I needed to buy. So I went to the nearest store." She explained.

Yami didn't look very happy.

"But if you stay out too long you'll catch a cold." He pointed out.

"I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you." Cat said. "You're running around in bare feet."

"Good point." Yami sighed.

"What are you doing out here anyways? You must have been in a hurry to have run out in your PJ's, bare footed." Cat asked, approaching Yami.

"The God cards were stolen while Yugi was asleep. He woke up right as they were being stolen, so he chased after the thieves." He explained.

Cat gasped.

"D-Did you get the cards back?" She asked.

Yami nodded.

"Yes." He replied.

Cat sighed in relief. "That's good."

There was a short silence.

"An-Anyways...you should probably head home. I don't want you to get sick." Cat said, breaking the silence.

Yami chuckled. "Yes, you should head home as well. It's dangerous at night." He said.

Cat nodded and put down her bags for a moment, taking off her coat.

"Yugi ran quite a ways from the Game Shop, so..." She said and shoved her coat into Yami, blushing a little before picking up her bags again. "Wear this. It might be a smaller fit, but it's better than nothing. You can return it to me later. So...see you later!"

Cat turned and ran off so he couldn't reject the offer.

"Cat!" Yami called after her, but she was already gone. He sighed and looked at her coat in his hands. He smiled. "I think...I finally understand what this strange feeling she gives me is."

Putting on the coat, he hurried back towards the Game Shop.

* * *

"YUGI!"

Yugi, turned around. He was at the airport with his bags, ready to go to Egypt.

Jounouchi, Cat, Kay, Honda, Anzu and Kristen ran up to him.

"You guys don't have to come, you know." Yugi said.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world! And besides! Anzu paid for my tickets!" Jounouchi said with a big grin.

"I LENT you the money! It came out of my school fee you know! But that's because you "conveniently" forgot your wallet!" Anzu snapped at Jounouchi.

Jounouchi held up his hands in defense, looking a little freaked out.

"R-Right...I'll pay you back every penny from my wages." He said.

"I borrowed the money from my brother." Honda said.

Kay smiled.

"Uncle Pegasus paid for us." She said, gesturing to Kristen.

"I actually had the money to pay for it." Cat said, smiling a little.

"The important thing is, we're not letting you take this trip alone." Jounouchi said.

"You guys are the best!" Yugi said with a smile.

Everyone was wearing different outfits, except for Yugi.

He wore his usual school uniform.

Cat wore blue capris that had a black belt with a silver buckle. On the belt, held her Duel Monster cards. The shirt she wore was a black, spaghetti strap tangtop and her shoes were black, slipper-like shoes that had straps that wrapped, once, around her ankles.

Among all this, she wore her hair in her usual ponytail and wore her silver cartouche around her neck.

Kay was wearing a turtleneck, red shirt with a black trenchcoat over it, along with black pants and black shoes. She had her hair in a ponytail.

Kristen had on a purple, pleaded mini-skirt, a black shirt with a purple jacket over the top, sandals and a purple choker.

Jounouchi wore blue jeans with a light blue shirt. Over the blue shirt, was a white, open jacket. And naturally, he wore tennis shoes.

Honda wore a white shirt with a light blue jacket over it and dark blue-green pants with black shoes.

Anzu wore a black, turtle neck, navel baring tangtop with a necklace. The necklace had a silver pendent at the end. With that, she wore a red mini-skirt with a white belt and boots. On her wrist was a watch.

Yami watched everyone in spirit. "I hope they're ready for this. It's so much more than a trip to my homeland. It's a journey into my ancient past." He said.

Yugi looked at Yami and smiled.

"I hope you find what you're looking for." He said.

* * *

Everyone finally arrived in Egypt. They walked through the airport terminal.

"We just flew all the way to Egypt and BOY are my arms tired!" Honda said.

"Spare us." Jounouchi grumbled.

Anzu stopped, noticing a gift shop. "Hold on, I'll be right back!" She said.

"We haven't even left the airport and she's shopping already!" Jounouchi complained.

"Yugi!"

Everyone looked over at where the voice came from. It was Marik, Ishizu and Rishid!

They ran up to greet them.

"Hey guys!" Yugi said.

"There's so much to talk about. Where do we begin?" Marik asked.

"I'd like to start with lunch! How are the burger joints here?" Jounouchi asked.

"Yugi...may I speak with the Pharaoh?" Ishizu asked.

Yugi nodded and switched with Yami.

"Welcome. You've finally come home. You have a long journey ahead and we're honored to be your guides." Ishizu said.

"The pleasure is mine." Yami said with a smile.

* * *

The gang drove through the desert with Rishid at the wheel.

Honda, Jounouchi, Kristen, Cat, Kay and Anzu looked eagerly out the windows.

"Wow! Look at the pyramids! And the Sphinx!" They chatted on.

Yami sat quietly, arms crossed over his chest. Cat looked over at him, curious as to why he wasn't looking around as well. This was his homeland after all...and it's been so long.

They eventually reached a stone entryway built into the side of a cliff.

"Beyond this door lies the tablet of lost memories." Ishizu said as they stood before the doorway. "You must enter without us."

"When the Pharaoh reaches the tablet, he needs to hold up the Egyptian God cards and the gateway to his lost memory will open." Marik added in.

"From here on, you must forge your own path." Ishizu said. "Good luck."

Everyone nodded and entered the doorway, Yami leading the way.

"Cat, will you stay with us for a moment?" Ishizu asked, stopping Cat.

Cat blinked. "Huh? Uh...sure." She said.

"There's something you must know. Although I'm sure you may have already figured it out." Ishizu said. "The name on the back of your cartouche is the Pharaoh's real name."

Cat nodded.

"Yeah...I had a feeling that was, what it was." She said, looking at her cartouche.

"Continue to take good care of that cartouche, Cat. It may be helpful later on." Marik said.

Cat nodded again.

"Right." She said.

"That was all I wanted to say. You can go back with your friends." Ishizu said.

Cat smiled at the three and ran down the stairs to catch up with her friends.

"I have a weird feeling." Jounouchi said as the group continued to walk down the steps.

"That's because you ate all those falafels." Honda said.

Outside, Marik, Ishizu and Rishid smiled to each other.

"Our job as Tombkeepers is complete." Marik said. "Our ancestors have awaited this for 3,000 years."

"Yes...there's a place where every soul must eventually return and the Pharaoh has begun the journey to his resting place." Ishizu agreed.

Standing on a nearby cliff, Yami Bakura watched. "Yes, Pharaoh...open the gateway and seal your fate!" He said.

* * *

Everyone continued down the long stairway until they finally reached an underground chamber, where they found the stone tablets from the museum.

Yami stood before the tablet of lost memories, looking at the carving of himself.

Anzu looked at Yami sadly.

"_His spirit has been around for centuries, but his memory only goes back a few years. He had a whole other life in Ancient Egypt, and he doesn't remember any of it. Not even his own name!_" She thought to herself.

"Um, Yugi?" Anzu said.

"Yes?" Yami asked.

Anzu pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Here." She said.

Yami picked it up and looked at it. "This is..." He said.

"It's a cartouche!" Anzu said, finishing his sentence. "The guy in the gift shop told me that ancient Pharaohs used to carve their names on them."

"But it's blank." Yami pointed out.

"I figured when you got your memory back, you can put your real name on it. That way, you'll never forget it again. I remembered seeing a cartouche carved on the stone tablet, but the name on it was worn away." Anzu said.

"I don't know what to say! Thank you." Yami said and put it around his neck.

"Hey, Cat. It looks exactly the same as your cartouche. Only yours has writing on it." Kristen pointed out.

Cat looked at Yami's cartouche and looked at her own. "You're right." Cat smiled and laughed a little. "We match!"

Yami smiled at her.  
"We do." He agreed, chuckling a little.

Anzu's eyebrow twitched angrily and she looked away, huffing a little. How did they turn her gift into a bonding moment?!

Yami then turned to the stone tablet. He pulled out the three God cards.

"According to the prophecy, as soon as I raise the Egyptian God cards before the tablet of lost memories, my mind will be unlocked. This is it..." He said.

"Go for it, Yug! No matter what happens, we're right behind you!" Jounouchi said.

Once Yami held up the three Egyptian God cards up to the tablet, the Millennium Puzzle carved onto the tablet started to glow a bright light that everyone had to shield their eyes from.

Yami's spirit then rose out of Yugi's body and tumbled into the light. During this, Cat and Kay suddenly fell to the ground.

Yami found himself flying down a dark tunnel and without noticing, Yami Bakura's spirit emerged from the Millennium Puzzle and moved back a little behind Yami before continuing to fly down the tunnel.

Before Battle City took place, Yami Bakura placed a part of his soul within the Millennium Puzzle without anyone knowing.

Back in the chamber, the bright light finally faded and everyone rubbed their eyes.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Jounouchi wondered out loud.

Everyone spotted Yugi crouched on his knees before the tablet. Jounouchi, Kristen, Honda and Anzu ran to him.

"Are you alright?" Honda asked.

Yugi stood up. "He's gone! The Pharaoh's gone!" He cried.

"What?!" Everyone gasped.

Kristen paused and looked around. She gasped at what she saw.

"G-Guys! Look!" She cried, pointing at Cat and Kay, who were on the ground, unconscious.

Everyone looked at them.

"Whoa! What happened to them?" Jounouchi asked.

"The answer to that question is the same answer to your first question."

Everyone turned towards the voice. It was Shadi!

"The Pharaoh and the two girls have been taken to the world of the Pharaoh's memory." He said.

"Hey! I recognize you!" Honda exclaimed. "You're the guy that rescued me and Otogi from falling off that airship in Battle City!"

"How do we know we can trust this guy?" Jounouchi asked.

"It's all right. Shadi is the guardian of the Millennium Items." Yugi explained.

* * *

Yami continued to fly through the dark tunnel, until suddenly, he found himself floating above Ancient Egypt! He gasped and his spirit turned into a ball of light and flew into the palace.

* * *

**Alright! The Dawn of the Duel/Memory World/Millennium Saga has begun! Hehe, this is actually one of, if not, my favorite, arcs in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. :D  
And I'm sure some people may have noticed...at least the people who used to follow my art when I posted art online, that Cat's outfit for the last arc is different than the one I originally gave her. Why? For a stupid reason...I found the outfit I originally gave her, too hard to describe. :P Yeah. Silly reason, I know. But her original outfit is still the official one for the last arc. But this new outfit is too. I actually had a little fun making up the new outfit. Hehe. :D  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	41. In the World of the Pharaoh's Memory

Yami's hand twitched...and he slowly opened his eyes.

He gasped in shock as he stood on a balcony before a sea of people!

Yami's skin was now tan and he wore all sorts of jewelry and a crown. He had a blue-violet cape and wore a cream colored tunic, along with arm cuffs on his wrists, upper arms, neck, waist and legs. Among that he wore two earrings on each ear.

His hair was also slightly different and finally he wore the Millennium Puzzle and the cartouche.

The sea of people cheered and chanted the same thing over and over again.  
"PHARAOH! PHARAOH! PHARAOH!"

"Where am I?" He asked himself before looking down at his hands in surprise.

Just then, a short, old man in robes walked up. His eyes were familiar...but he had tan skin and wore a tall, purple, hat and a veil over his face.

"The public awaits. The citizens are eager to pay respect to their new Pharaoh." The man said to Yami.

Yami looked back at the crowd, still confused.

Tentatively, Yami raised his hand to the crowd. "Um...Hi!" He said.

The people suddenly became silent as they gasped and fell to their knees, bowing to him.

Yami blinked, still confused. "Uh..." Was all he could say.

"We've prepared a lovely ceremony in your honor. May I suggest you settle down in your throne and enjoy the festivites?" The old man suggested.

Later, two men hit a huge gong and Yami walked into the throne room with the man. The room was vast and built with stone and gold. The throne was at the far end of the room. People lined the way to the throne, bowing.

Yami looked a little speechless by everything.

"Uh...it's the big chair straight ahead." The short, old man whispered to Yami.

Yami walked towards the throne. "Did I actually wonder back in time?" He asked himself quietly.

Once he reached the throne, he sat down.

"All hail the new Pharaoh! Exalted ruler of Egypt!" The old man announced.

Yami suddenly looked astonished as he spotted two people that looked just like Kaiba and Ishizu!

"Kaiba? Ishizu?" He asked and looked over at the old man, who removed his veil. He looked just like Yugi's Grandfather! "And Grandpa?!"

"Who's Grandpa?" The old man asked.

"Your highness...maybe we should postpone the celebration?" The man who looked like Kaiba suggested.

"Uh...that won't be necessary...please continue." Yami replied, trying to sound natural.

The man nodded and turned around.

"The time has come to begin the ceremonial festival of the Pharaohs!" He announced.

Suddenly music was played. Dancing girls, accompanied by drummers, danced before the throne.

"All these people work for me?" Yami whispered to himself.

He looked at the six people standing on the platform around his throne.

"What? Each of you hold a Millennium Item?!" Yami asked.

"These are the six members of your sacred court! Chosen by the Millennium Items themselves!" The man who looked like Solomon whispered to Yami.

* * *

Elsewhere in the desert, a man in chains walked wearily behind two guards on horseback.

It was an ancient version of Bakura!

He fell to the ground, exhausted, forcing the guards to stop.

"Just my luck! There's a celebration at the palace and I get stuck hauling a petty thief to the dungeon!" One of the guards complained.

Suddenly, a light flashed from the sky, spooking the guard's horses. The light entered the thief.

"It worked!" The man said…it was Yami Bakura! He looked at the shackled on his wrists. "Although, by the looks of these chains, my timing could have been better. But my journey into the ancient past was a success!"

Suddenly, a group of men in black robes approached Bakura, while riding black horses.

Bakura stood back up and faced them; waiting as one dismounted themselves and unsheathed a long, curved sword.

Bakura's chains were cut in one slash of the sword.

The man with the sword bowed before Bakura.

"If I remember correctly, there's work to be done." Bakura said with a smirk while he rubbed his wrists. "It's been a long time, but I remember this day quite clearly. It's the day the Great Pharaoh inherited the throne of Egypt." He looked over the valley to see the palace in the distance.

* * *

"My lady, you must wake up, please!"

Cat felt someone shaking her. She slowly opened her eyes, only to be looking up at a servant woman.

"Wh-Wha...? Who...are you?" Cat asked wearily, her eyes half open.

"Oh dear, Princess...this is not the right time to be playing games! I know you're tired, but I honestly didn't think that you would actually forget about the Pharaoh's ceremony and take a nap! Get up! The ceremony has just begun. You can still make it and I'm sure the Pharaoh would be pleased to see his future queen there." The woman said before leaving.

"Princess...? Ceremony...? Pharaoh...? Future...Queen?" Cat mummered before her eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly. "W-Wait!" She called to the woman, but the woman was already gone.

Cat sighed. She was sitting on a bed.

"Where am I?" She asked herself and looked around the room. "This...isn't the underground chamber that we were in...and where is everyone?"

She stood up and looked down at herself before gasping in shock.

She was now wearing flat shoes, a long white dress with a slits on both sides of her dress that went all the way up to her hips, golden arm cuffs that were around her upper arms. The golden arm cuffs around her neck had two each. While the ones on her wrists, legs and waist had three each. The ones on her legs started at her ankles. She also wore a small golden chest plate around her neck.

The only thing she recognized was her silver cartouche with the same writing on it.

She squeaked, hugging herself.

"D-Did someone change my clothes while I was passed out?!" She squeaked, embarrassed.

Shaking it off for the moment, Cat quickly whipped her head around and found a pot of water. She moved to it quickly and looked at her reflection.

She gasped again!

Also, on her forehead was a small tiara that held a blue jewel. On her ears, there were golden earrings that hung down and were shaped like wings. And lastly, her hair was still in a ponytail, only this time; it was being held up by a golden cuff of sorts that held her hair a little higher off her head. Her hair was also a lighter brown than usual.

"W-Wait a minute...c-could it be...I'm...in Luna's body?!" She gasped. "A-And I came into Yami's memories with him?!"

She panicked for a moment, pacing back and forth. "O-Okay...gotta clam down...uh...think...there has to be someone here that can help me!" She stuttered. "Ah! Yami has to be around here somewhere! According to that woman, the Pharaoh is at a ceremony...so...all I have to do is find my way there!"

Still jittery, she ran out of the room and through the hallways, almost running into people along the way.

"I just need to figure out how to get to where the ceremony is." She mummered to herself.

It wasn't long until she eventually skidded to a stop and almost falling over for the skid. She had finally reached the throne room. No one seemed to have noticed she was there yet, though.

Cat looked at the ceremony and people, amazed.  
"I...think I found it." She mummered to herself before spotting Yami sitting on the throne with six people around him and one short, old man standing next to him. "Well...okay...maybe they'll let me simply walk through since...um...I'm "Luna", I guess."

Taking a deep breath, she began to make her way to the throne.

The six priests looked at Cat and bowed slightly to her as she made her way up the steps. Yami's face turned to surprise as he watched Cat walk up the steps and up to him.

"_Luna? It must be her._" He thought to himself. "_She was a part of my life as Pharaoh. So this is Cat's ancestor..._"

"Ah, good afternoon, Princess." The short, old man greeted her.

Cat smiled at him weakly and turned back to Yami, leaning forward.

"Um...Y-Yami? Is...that you?" She whispered.

Yami blinked in shock. "Cat?!" He asked.

Cat nodded nervously.

"I don't know how it happened, but apparently I got sucked into your memories as well and ended up in Luna's body!" She whispered.

"I see..." Yami said. "Were there any others?"

"I honestly don't know." Cat replied and turned around. "I...uh...suppose I should find a place to sit."

Cat was only able to take one step until Yami reached forward and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back into him and onto his lap. Cat squeaked in surprise.

"I don't want you too far from me. Even though these are my memories, I don't know what will happen next." Yami whispered to her. "Besides...they think we're engaged, so we have to play the part for now."

Flustered and blushing brightly, Cat couldn't find the words to reply.

"Cat...have you noticed that three people in here look like Yugi's Grandfather, Kaiba and Ishizu?" Yami whispered to Cat.

Cat blinked and looked around, spotting the three people.

"Now that you mention it...they do look like Mr. Motou, Kaiba and Ishizu." She whispered back.

"I was starting to wonder if my experiences in the twenty-first century has somehow affected my memories of the past. But since you can see the similarities as well, my guess is that they really did live 3,000 years ago. Kaiba always did seem to have a connection with Ancient Egypt. The fact that his image was etched in that tablet can hardly be a coincidence." Yami whispered to her.

"You've got a point." Cat replied.

Unknown to the others, a man with a blowgun crouched on a high balcony, over the throne. He centered his blowgun on Yami.

Suddenly, the woman who looked like Ishizu gasped as her Millennium Necklace glowed.  
"Mahaado!" She cried to another man who wore the Millennium Ring.

The man named, "Mahaado", quickly flung out his cloak just in time to catch the poison dart that the man on the balcony had tried to his Yami with.

The guests and performers started to panic and Yami and Cat looked surprised at what just happened.

"Guards! Stop that intruder!" The man who looked like Kaiba, ordered.

Yami tightened his hold on Cat securely as he watched the intruder get caught and bound by the guards.

The man was then brought before Yami, Cat and the six other priests.

"Assaulting the King of Egypt is an inexcusable crime!" The woman who looked like Ishizu, snapped at the man.

"We're in the midst of a sacred ceremony!" Mahaado said. "Cast that man into the dungeon!"

"Wati! I have a better idea." The man who looked like Kaiba, said. "Why don't we use this rogue to demonstrate the extent of our powers to the new Pharaoh and his future queen? Don't you agree? Aknadin? Shimon?"

Shimon was the name of the man who looked like Solomon.  
Aknadin was an old priest who held the Millennium Eye.

"That's fine. So let it be written, so let it be done!" Shimon said.

"We shall now start the Millennium Trial of this man's soul!" The man who looked like Kaiba announced.

"With a position of great power often comes with great danger. And criminals who threaten the ruler of Egypt must be dealt with accordingly." Shimon explained to Yami and Cat.

The six priests surrounded the criminal.

"Don't be alarmed, Pharaoh." The woman who looked like Ishizu said.

"We, the members of your court, are here to ensure your safety at all times." Aknadin said.

"The prisoner will now be judged by the magic of the Millennium Items! Shada will start!" The man who looked like Kaiba said.

A bald man with black marks on his head, jumped up. He looked just like Shadi, only without the turban. He had the same earrings and everything!

Only the sleeves on his robe were short and he wore golden amr cuffs on his upper arms and wrists.

He was the owner of the Millennium Key.

"With the power of the Millennium Key, I'll read the prisoner's mind!" He said and held out the Key as it started to glow. Shada closed his eyes.

After a brief moment, he re-opened his eyes.

"The shadow of an evil creature lurks inside this man's heart!" He announced before moving away as Aknadin took his place.

"I will now invoke the energies of the Millennium Eye, revealing and extracting the being that dwells within." He said as his Millennium Eye started to glow and a dark shadow began to flow from the prisoner's mouth.

"Wh-What's happening to him?" Cat asked, a little afraid at what was going on.

"The Millennium Items have detected a shadow creature dwelling in the heart of this criminal. Little is known about these beings of darkness; only that they fed on the anger and hatred of humans." Shimon explained.

Yami and Cat looked shocked.

"Once a shadow creature is born, it forces its host to commit acts of evil, creating even more darkness to feast upon. It's also called a "Ka". Ka is a word for the spirit or soul of a person. The Ka is usually good, but is made evil by anger and hatred." Shimon continued.

Suddenly, the creature appeared. It had many arms, fangs and claws.

Cat gasped and leaned away from the creature. It looked...so real! It definitely wasn't a hologram!

"The guardians of the sacred court use the Millennium Items to seal these monsters within stone tablets." Shimon finished.

Two men rose a large stone tablet behind the man who looked like Kaiba.

"I wonder if these are the same tablets from my visions?" Yami wondered quietly to himself.

"Seth! Use the power of your Millennium Rod to seal the shadow beast!" Aknadin said to the man who looked like Kaiba.

Seth raised his Rod. "I will not use my Millennium Rod to relinquish this beast!" He cried as the Millennium Rob shot out a beam of energy that captured the beast. Seth then pointed the Rod at the stone tablet and the shadow creature was then forced into the stone tablet. Sealed.

The monster's outline appeared on the stone.

"Can this be the origin of Duel Monsters? And this...this is the true power of the Millennium Items." Yami whispered.  
Cat nodded.

Seth then smiled mysteriously.

* * *

"Now what?" Yugi asked Shadi.

"The Pharaoh must relive his ancient past. And since these girls were taken with him, they apparently had some sort of life or ancestor that lived back then. And so now they're reliving the events as well, because they had a connection with the Pharaoh. Whether they worked for him, were friends or even a love connection." Shadi explained. "It's the only way the Pharaoh can fulfill his destiny. But this journey is a gift as well as a curse. The Pharaoh will learn about his ancient past, but he must defeat the great evil all over again."

"Will the Pharaoh forget about us in the Memory World?" Anzu asked.

"No. Even while he's in the Memory World, the Pharaoh will retain his current memories. The Pharaoh is reliving his fate." Shadi answered.

"That's not fair! We have to find them and bring them back to the present!" Anzu cried.

"We can't. Now that the Pharaoh and the girls are in the realm of the Pharaoh's memories, the only way they can return is by reigning victorious at the ultimate Shadow Game. A battle that decides not only their own fate, but the fate of mankind." Shadi replied.

"The Pharaoh came here to find out who he really is! Not to put himself in danger again!" Anzu protested.

"Does that mean that he'll be sealed into the Puzzle again?" Kristen asked.

"That probably means that we won't be able to see the Pharaoh again! You knew what the Pharaoh was getting into all along and you still let him go?!" Jounouchi asked, frowning. "And you also let Cat and Kay get dragged in with him?!"

Jounouchi tried to grab Shadi's robes, but his hand passed right through him! Causing him to trip.

"WHAA! This guy is some kind of hologram!" Jounouchi exclaimed, surprised.

"Do not fear. You will be able to see them again…if they succeed. And my earthly body was destroyed by a tomb-robber named Bakura." Shadi explained.

Everyone became shocked.

"Bakura, too, is an ancient soul, but he wants to use the Millennium Items for evil." Shadi said and took the Millennium Key and Millennium Scale from his robes. "Bakura wants to release a creature of ultimate darkness, and so, when the Pharaoh began his journey into the realm of his memories, the spirit of Bakura followed him, planning to use the Millennium Items to dominate the planet. And soon the two will begin the ultimate Shadow Game."

"He can't!" Yugi cried.

"The Pharaoh beat him the first time!" Jounouchi said. "He can do it again!"

"But just because it happened in the past, doesn't mean it's guaranteed to happen the same way again." Yugi pointed out.

"If the past is destroyed, so is the future." Kristen said.

"Why wouldn't the Pharaoh tell me about such an important matter?" Yugi wondered.

"He probably didn't want us to worry." Anzu said.

"We've got to go back to the past and make sure the Pharaoh defeats Bakura!" Yugi said.

"There's only one way to enter the realm of the Pharaoh's memory, and the doorway lies in the Millennium Puzzle." Shadi said.

"How are we supposed to find it?" Yugi asked, remembering all the many passageways within the Puzzle.

"Trust me. I'll be your guide." Shadi said.

* * *

"Well done, Seth." Aknadin said.

"Now that we're done with this fool, we should banish him to the dungeon." Seth said. "Or if the Pharaoh pleases, we can execute the man."

"We've expelled the darkness from his heart, therefore it is the duty of the sacred court to set him free!" Aknadin said. "Release the man!"

The guards released the prisoner.

"Mahaado…palace security is your responsibility. How did the intruder make it past the royal guards?" Seth asked Mahaado.

"Seth is right." Mahaado said and bowed before Yami. "Please accept my apologies Pharaoh. The Millennium Ring has been behaving strangely lately, making it difficult to detect criminal activity. May I have the Pharaoh's permission to increase security forces to fortify the city?"

"U-uh, yes. That is fine." Yami said.

"Store that tablet in the tablet sanctuary!" Seth commanded some guards and several men dragged the large stone tablet with the sealed monster, away. He frowned and looked around. Sighing, he turned to Yami and bowed. "Pharaoh, I must take my leave for a moment. May I have your permission?"

"That's fine." Yami said.

Seth bowed again and left the throne room.

Yami placed a hand in his forehead, wearily.

Cat looked at him. "You okay?" She asked softly.

"Yes…but I can't help but wonder who that intruder was…and if there will be others." Yami replied to her quietly.

"Shall we continue with the coronation festivities?" Shimon suggested.

"What? I was just attacked!" Yami protested.

"If your followers sense your fear, they, too will feel unsafe. The best way to hide that fear is with merriment and laughter." Shimon said with a smile.

"I'll try…" Yami said.

"And don't worry! I, personally, am in charge of constructing your royal tomb." Shimon said.

Yami blinked in surprise. "M-My tomb?!" He cried.

"No thief will ever be able to escape the traps that I will have set around the tomb. I promise that you'll be able to rest in peace." Shimon said and chuckled gleefully, his hand over his mouth.

"Is that so?" Yami asked.

Cat blinked. "I never understood that. I know Pharaoh's had their tombs build why they were still on the throne…but…it always seemed like they were acting like the Pharaoh was going to die soon." She whispered.

"No kidding." Yami agreed.

"We will continue the festival of the Pharaoh!" Aknadin said.

"Wait!" The woman who looked like Ishizu cried.

"What is it, Isis?" Aknadin asked.

"My Millennium Necklace senses an evil force approaching the kingdom. It lurks just outside the palace walls, and bears a great power!" Isis said.

"We're in the presence of pure evil!" Mahaado cried as he watched his Millennium Ring glow intensely.

The priests watched in horror as one of the guards got cut down and Bakura stepped into the throne room. "Someone left me off the guest list." He said.

"Bakura." Yami growled as the drummers, dancing girls and other entertainers scattered, leaving the room.

"Bakura? I haven't seen him since Battle City!" Cat gasped. "Wh...What is he doing here?"

* * *

"Sleeping at a time like this! You should be ashamed!"

Kay rolled over.

"Lemme alone, Seto..." She groaned.

"WAKE UP THIS INSTANT!"

Kay yelped and rolled off her bed, taking her sheets with her.

"Oww..." She whimpered as she sat up. She paused when she saw someone standing in front of her. Looking up, she gasped.

The priest Seth stood in front of her, arms crossed. He glared down at her.

"You were to attend the Pharaoh's ceremony!" He scolded.

Kay's eyes widened and she stood up. "S-S-S-Seto?!" She cried. "What are you wearing?! And why did you get a tan?! I knew all those all-nighters were going to make you lose your sanity someday, but I didn't think it would be this soon!"

"What are you talking about?" Seth asked. "My name is not "Seto". You of all people should know my name is Seth."

Kay blinked, confused.

Seth? But this man looked and sounded exactly like Kaiba! What was going on?!

Kay took a moment to look down at herself and she gasped.

Her skin was still pale, but her hair was now very long, ending at her waist and her blond streaks were gone. She was now just dark blond.

She wore a blue jewel on her forehead and a creme colored dress with flat shoes.

She also had arm cuffs and her dress had long sleeves. Along with those, she had a blue choker and blue jewel earrings.

"I...I must be dreaming..." She breathed, feeling a little dizzy.

Seth sighed. "Are you feeling all right, Khephera?" He asked.

Kay felt like she was going to pass out at that sentence.  
KHEPHERA?!

She took a moment to breathe and tried to remember what happened. She was in the underground chamber with Yugi/Yami, Jounouchi, Cat, Kristen, Honda and Anzu. Then the Pharaoh held up the God cards up to the tablet of memories and a bright light came out of nowhere...she couldn't remember anything between then and now!

"Oh!" She gasped.

That's right...Ishizu said that Kay had a connection to the past as well. Maybe...just maybe...she was taken into the Pharaoh's memories as well! Not only that, but apparently Kaiba was supposed to have a connection to the past too. So...perhaps, this man...Seth, was Kaiba's connection?

"I-I'm sorry...I guess I'm feeling a little strange today." Kay said, finally calming down.

"I understand. But, as a priestess, you're still needed in the throne room." Seth said and smiled a little. "Even if you're feeling off some days, you're always quick to jump back onto your feet. That's one of the things I love about you, Khephera." He leaned over and kissed Kay on the head. "Come now. We must leave." He turned and headed for the door.

But Kay remained still, her eyes wide, blushing.

What just happened?!

* * *

**Is this the longest chapter so far? Why yes. It is. Lol  
I didn't plan on it being so long, but I wanted Kay to wake up the same chapter as Yami and Cat. Thus, the chapter was made longer. :D  
I love this arc and all, but it's hard to write there's a lot of behind the scenes things that happen, like things with Bakura when no one else is there, things with the palace guards or Priests when no ones there. And sometimes, if you don't add what happens with them in, then you get confused with later parts of the story. D:  
So I'm gonna do my best!  
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	42. The Origin of Duel Monsters

"Bakura! What do you want?" Yami asked, frowning.

"I think you know what I came for." Bakura answered.

"You robber!" Shada snapped.

"We'll never let you get near the Pharaoh!" Mahaado yelled.

Bakura smirked. "That's fine. I'll fight you first, since the Millennium Items are all here." He said.

Yami and Cat gasped.

"He's after the Millennium Items!"

* * *

Yugi clutched the Millennium Puzzle.

"The only way to reach the Pharaoh, is to find a doorway inside the Millennium Puzzle." He repeated to Shadi.

"There are many doorways within the Puzzle and some lead to dark and dangerous realms. I'll guide you on your journey, Yugi. But if you wish to return, you'll be on your own." Shadi explained.

"We have no choice! Let's do this Yug!" Jounouchi said.

"All for one and one for all!" Honda said with a grin.

"Thanks guys, but I'm doing this alone." Yugi said.

"Are you nuts?" Anzu asked.

"You...You can't go by yourself!" Kristen protested.

"I've put you guy's lives in danger enough times already. This is something I need to do for the Pharaoh and I'm going to do it on my own." Yugi said.

"You should realize by now that you can't ditch us that easily!" Jounouchi said.

"We've stuck with you on every adventure!" Anzu reminded him.

"Do you really think we're going to stop now?" Honda asked.

"Are you guys sure?" Yugi asked.

"I'm sure we're sure!" Kristen said, smiling.

"Everyone, hold hands and concentrate." Shadi said as everyone held hands in a circle and held up the Millennium Key. "Millennium Key, guide us through the labyrinth of the Millennium Puzzle."

The Key started to glow and the Puzzle glowed in response.

* * *

"I hope I didn't ruin your celebration, Pharaoh!" Bakura laughed.

Shada held up the Millennium Key.

"You'll be punished for mocking the Pharaoh!" He cried.

"I live on the outskirts of your little kingdom and your rules don't apply to me!" Bakura said. "Now, hand over your Millennium Items! But...not for free."

Bakura tossed a bunch of riches at the Priest's feet.

Shimon looked horrified.

"You stole those!" He cried.

They were treasures from the former Pharaoh's tomb. Yami's father. Bakura had broke into his tomb before arriving to the palace.

Bakura didn't look phased. "I've brought another token of my esteem." He said and whistled for his horse.

His horse galloped into the palace, dragging the former Pharaoh's sarcophagus behind it. When the horse stopped, the sarcophagus slid towards Bakura. He stopped it with his foot. "Say hello to your previous king."

Everyone looked horrified. "You thief!" Mahaado yelled.

Just as this was happening, Seth and Kay walked into the throne room.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Seth cried, noticing the former Pharaoh's riches and sarcophagus.

Kay looked at Bakura. She gasped.

"That guy kinda looks like Bakura! Ugh...this "Pharaoh's memories" world is messing with my head. Unless I'm dreaming all of this." She mummered to herself.

"Seth! Just in time. This lowly thief must be punished for robbing the former Pharaoh's tomb!" Aknadin said.

Seth joined the other five priests.

"What?!" He cried.

Bakura chuckled. "You flatter me." He said.

"Now you've gone too far, Bakura! Your soul must be judged by the Millennium Items!" Yami snapped.

Kay looked over at Bakura.

"Wha? It IS Bakura?! Aw, geez..." She mummered before looking at Yami and Cat. "Oh! That has to be the Pharaoh I know...and...is that Luna?"

She rushed over to them.

"Guards! Bring a tablet at once! Let the Millennium Trial begin!" Seth ordered.

"Pharaoh!" Kay said, reaching Yami and Cat.

The two looked over at Kay.

"Kay? You're here too?" Yami asked.

"Yeah...I'm glad I'm not alone here." Kay said.

"So far it's you, Bakura, me and Cat. I wonder if anyone else is here as well." Yami mummered.

"Cat?" Kay asked and looked at Cat. "I thought it was either you or Luna."

"Yeah...I'm here too." Cat said.

Kay grinned.

"And looking comfortable on the Pharaoh's lap, no less. Interesting sight." She said.

Cat blushed brightly.

"K-Kay, this is no time for embarrassing comments!" She cried. "Bakura is attacking us! The evil Bakura! Remember him from Battle City?"

Kay looked at Bakura. "What?! You mean THAT Bakura?! How did he get here?!"

"I don't know." Yami mummered.

"One more question...can anyone explain why there's a copy of Seto here?" Kay asked.

"We don't know. But there's a woman named Isis who looks just like Ishizu Ishtar and a man named Shimon who looks just like Yugi's grandfather!" Cat explained.

Kay winced.

"Oy...I haven't even been awake for 30 minutes and this place is already freaking me out." She said.

"Your weak magic will never contain me." Bakura laughed.

"No mortal can resist the power of the sacred items!" Shada said.

A priest stepped forward.

"Hold on." He said, holding the Millennium Scale.

"What is it, Karim?" Shada asked.

The priest, Karim, had black hair that ended at his neck and around his head was a gold ring. He wore a tunic and he was very strong looking. Like everyone else, he wore golden arm cuffs.

Everyone looked at the Millennium Scale. It was tipping back and forth.

"It's unable to find balance! Which means that the evil in Bakura's heart is immeasurable." Karim explained.

"He's right. I see a darkness which knows no bounds." Aknadin said. "His soul is a bottomless pit, in which thrives a terrifying creature!"

Shada held up the Millennium Key. "Reveal the best lurking within this beat!" He cried as Bakura started to laugh.

In Shada's vision, he saw a huge serpent, which struck Shada, swallowing him up.

Shada opened his eyes and gasped.

"That's no ordinary beast!" He cried. "It's the most powerful being I've ever witnessed! The sealing tablet is far too small!"

"That's ridiculous!" Seth cried.

"Seth's right. We've never had any difficulty before." Aknadin agreed.

Bakura continued to laugh as a monster suddenly rose from behind him.

"Th-That's unbelievable!" Aknadin cried. "How can such a creature live in the heart of a petty thief?!"

"Diabound, meet the Pharaoh...Pharaoh, meet your demise!" Bakura laughed.

"You're mistaken!" Seth snapped and use the Millennium Rod to seal Diabound within the stone tablet that was brought in. "Just as I suspected! Bakura's soul has been cleansed."

"Oh, thank you for saving my life. That horrible creature was controlling my mind and now I'm finally free!" Bakura said in a gentle voice before laughing and changing his voice back to normal. "Free to annihilate you all!"

"That's impossible! It didn't work!" The Priests exclaimed.

Kay turned to Yami and Cat again.

"What just happened?!" She asked.

"It's called the Millennium Trail. What you've just witnessed is the true power of the Millennium Items. And also, what I believe, to be the origin of Duel Monsters. Criminals with evil beasts within their hearts are brought in and the Millennium Items extract and capture the monsters within stone tablets." Yami explained. "But there are also good monsters as well. But you won't find those within the hearts of evil men."

"I see...this is all kind of weird, you know." Kay mummered. "But after being with you guys for a while, it's not all that surprising."

Yami nodded.

Just then, the sealing tablet began to crack and Diabound burst from it, returning to Bakura. "I think I've already won this game...before it's even begun." Bakura said with and evil grin.

* * *

Everyone laid on the floor inside the Millennium Puzzle. Jounouchi was the first one to awaken.

"Yugi! Wake up!" Jounouchi cried as he shook his friend.

Yugi slowly opened his eyes and sat up.  
"Whew...are you okay, Jounouchi?" He asked.

Jounouchi nodded and turned to Honda, Kristen and Anzu, shaking them. "C'mon guys! Rise and shine!" He said.

The others woke up as well.

"Where...are we?" Kristen asked, rubbing her head.

"We're inside the Millennium Puzzle. Deep within the twists and turns of it's many passageways." Yugi answered.

"It seems bigger than last time. Did you do some remodeling, Yug?" Jounouchi asked.

"The Puzzle is a reflection of the Pharaoh's mind and is ever changing." Shadi said as he appeared.

"That explains why this place is so complicated." Jounouchi said.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go and find the Pharaoh." Honda said.

Yugi looked around.

"Hey, Shadi! Use your Millennium Key to point us in the right direction!" Jounouchi said.

* * *

"What do you mean Yugi left the country?!" Kaiba asked as he was on the phone with Roland.

"The flight logs indicate the Yugi boarded a jet for Cairo with seven companions just yesterday." Roland said.

Kaiba frowned and hung up.

"I'll bet Kay went with them. She told me she was leaving for a couple of days but not with who." He grumbled to himself, rubbing his forehead.

He glanced at the Millennium Eye sitting on his desk.

Before everyone had left for Egypt, Yami Bakura forced Kaiba into a duel by holding Mokuba hostage. It was in the middle of the night and the duel took place on top of Kaiba Corp.

Once the sun started to rise, Yami Bakura quit the duel before it was finished and gave the Millennium Eye to Kaiba. He told Kaiba to bring the Millennium Eye to Egypt and he would receive a "history lesson".

"Why would the Geek Squad fly to Egypt? And why now?" He wondered to himself out loud. "Bakura must have gotten to Yugi too."

* * *

"I knew you'd be powerless against the dark energy of my Diabound!" Bakura laughed.

"We must unite to conquer this adversary!" Aknadin said to the other Priests. They all nodded and held up their arms. Golden devices with wing-like sections, on their arms, unfolded.

"They have Duel Disks?" Yami asked.

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about." Shimon said.

Yami pointed to the device, which was on his own arm as well.

"I don't think they're Duel Disks." Cat said.

"They're not. Seto created the Duel Disks and I highly doubt they would have them in Ancient Egypt." Kay said, arms across her chest.

"It's for calling forth Shadow creatures that have been sealed away in stone tablets. Once the creatures have been sealed in stone, they're stored in tablet sanctuaries until summoned by the mechanism known as a Diadiankh." Shimon explained.

"Okay...so they aren't Duel Disks, but I guess you could say they're like ancient Duel Disks." Kay mummered.

"I'm waiting for the Priests to come out and play!" Bakura called.

"Be careful. We must combine our power." Aknadin said to the other Priests.

"I can defeat this thief on my own!" Seth said, ignoring Aknadin's warning.

Kay sighed, shaking her head.

"He really is the connection to Seto's past. Saying things like that." She mummered.

Seth, then raised his Diadiankh and called forth a creature of darkness to join him in battle.

Outside of the palace, within a pyramid-shaped building that was filled with stone tablets, a light shot out from one of the tablets and sped through the air and into Seth's Diadiankh. The creature appeared on one of his Diadiankh's wings.

"This is where it all began!" Yami said.

"I summon Garestgolath!" Seth cried as a dragon-beast formed before him. But Bakura only laughed.

"Now this is a Shadow Game!" He said.

"Garestgolath, wage war with Diabound!" Seth cried.

"We're witnessing the origin of Duel Monsters." Kay whispered.

"No one who disrespects the Pharaoh shall go unpunished!" Seth cried.

"We must be watching the first Shadow game ever played." Cat whispered.

Seth's monster attacked Bakura's monster, but before it could reach Bakura's monster, Bakura called forth "Winged Sage Falcos", which attacks and destroys Seth's monster, Garestgolath.

"What?! Only those in the royal court can summon monsters!" Seth cried.

"How did you summon that beast? You don't have a Diadiankh!" Mahaado asked.

"Might I remind you, I paid a visit to the old Pharaoh's tomb, and "borrowed" a few of his toys…like his Diadiankh!" Bakura explained and held up the Diadiankh on his arm and the wings unfolded, showing the image of Diabound and Winged Sage Falcos.

"You're interfering with forces beyond your control!" Isis warned Bakura.

"I'm in complete control of these forces, thanks to your former kind and his personal collection of monsters!" Bakura said.

Seth glared at Bakura.

"How dare you disturb the great protectors of the sacred crypt of King Aknamkanon!" He snapped at Bakura.

"Those creatures were placed there to safeguard the tomb of the Great Pharaoh!" Aknadin protested.

"I don't think so! The former Pharaoh was a tyrant, who destroyed my village when he tried to fashion the seven Millennium Items in a selfish attempt to further his own power!" Bakura snapped.

"What? My father created the Millennium Items?" Yami said, amazed.

Cat and Kay looked amazed as well.

"Bakura is lying! King Aknamkanon put an end to the war that ravaged our nation, and brought peace and prosperity! He created the seven Millennium Items to insure that harmony would reign forever in Egypt!" Aknadin said.

"The Pharaoh then gave us the Millennium Items to us, in order to keep the peace and help the rule the land with justice, as well as thwart evildoers like you!" Seth added in.

"Who do you think you are?" Bakura asked. "The Millennium Items were built to react with the inner darkness of the person that holds them. The fact that you wield the seven Items makes every one of you an evildoer, just like your so-called keeper of peace, King Aknamkanon! The king wanted power! That's why he devised a plan to use the seven Millennium Items to control the world! The secret lies in the village of Kul Elna!"

"What you speak is treason!" Aknadin cried, but secretly wondered to himself…how Bakura could have possibly known about the village of Kul Elna? The secret of its existence was buried ages ago!

"Deep beneath the sands of Kul Elna, lies the Millennium Stone. Place the seven Items in this stone, and ultimate power will be yours!" Bakura explained.

"I wonder…does Bakura speak the truth?" Yami wondered.

Cat frowned slightly. "I don't know. But I don't trust him." She said.

"I don't know where you came from! But I know where you must go!" Aknadin said to Bakura and then looked at Seth. "Destroy him!"

"Nothing would please me more!" Seth said and summoned Battle Ox.

The other priests called upon their monsters.

Karim called Bastet.

Isis called Spiria.

Shada called Zelua.

Aknadin called Gadius.

And Mahaado called Illusion Magician.

The monsters all appeared from the tablet sanctuaries.

Mahaado's Illusion Magician destroyed Bakura's Winged Sage Falcos.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Bakura said. "Diabound! Attack!"

Diabound destroyed Bastet, Zelua and Gadius while the other three monsters were thrown against the wall.

"I've never seen such strength!" Shada exclaimed.

"Bakura's outnumbered." Aknadin said.

"Let me attack again!" Mahaado said, but Seth stopped him.

"Your creature would only be destroyed. You'll have another chance, but we need to weaken his monster first." He said and summoned Mystic Horseman. "Karim! Take over!"

"Using the power of the Millennium Scale, I will combine the spirits of Mystic Horseman and Battle Ox!" Karim said as the Millennium Scale glowed, as well the monsters.

And before anyone knew it, Rabid Horseman formed before them.

"This must be the origin of Monster fusion as well." Cat said.

"Rabid Horseman! Attack Diabound!" Seth ordered.

But Diabound counter attacked by stopping Rabid Horseman's sword arm with it's serpent tail.

"Mahaado! This is your chance!" Seth said to Mahaado.

"Illusion Magician! Use the power of Binding Illusion to capture Diabound!" Mahaado ordered and Diabound was trapped. But he soon broke free, sending shockwaves towards the priests, causing them to be thrown against the wall.

"How can this possibly be?" Shimon wondered. "One man overpowering six priests?"

Bakura laughed. "You should consider replacing your staff, Pharaoh!" He said.

Yami looked furious.

"You're on sacred ground! And your disrespect is appalling!" He yelled at Bakura.

"Well, excuse me for not respecting a kingdom that destroyed my home!" Bakura cried as Diabound attacked again.

Isis called on Spiria to create a shield.

Diabound attack was repelled, but Spiria was destroyed, causing Isis to collapse.

Mahaado gasped as he saw Isis fall and turned to Bakura angrily. "This isn't over!" He cried.

"It will be soon. One more attack, and the palace will be reduced to rubble!" Bakura said.

Yami frowned angrily and stood up with Cat.

"Bakura! Leave, now!" He cried as he moved over to stand before his guardians.

"Pharaoh! Let us deal with the intruder!" Seth said.

But Yami ignored him.

"Is this is the ultimate Shadow Game you spoke of? Trespassing on sacred ground and tarnishing the name of my ancestors? You've reached a new low!" He continued.

"You don't know the first thing about your ancestors!" Bakura said and kicked the sarcophagus towards Yami. "Maybe this will jar your memory!"

Shimon ran over and fell upon the sarcophagus. "I never imagined that King Aknamkanon's return to the palace would be so disgraceful." He said with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry you had to see this, Pharaoh. We can't let this monster continue to dishonor our heritage with his false accusations and lies. You mustn't believe anything Bakura says about the former Pharaoh, Aknamkanon. He was kind and just."

Yami kneeled down and touched the sarcophagus. "I believe you." He said to Shimon.

Cat and Kay looked from the throne, sadly.

"You know…I may not know everything about ancient Egypt…but I do know that it's a horrible thing when your father is dragged to you from his grave by a thief." Kay said.

"Poor Yami…I guess this will be his first memory of his father, regained." Cat said sadly before frowning angrily at Bakura, tears in the corners of her eyes. "How could he do such a thing?!"

As Yami stared at the sarcophagus, it seemed to have pulsed for a moment.

"Justice lies with the Egyptian Gods."

What? Yami heard the voice…but no one with him said it. Where did it come from?

"We're in the middle of a battle! The Pharaoh interrupted me just as Diabound was about to deal the finishing blow! Do you have any last words before I end this Shadow Game and seizes your Millennium Items, Pharaoh?" Bakura asked as Diabound started an attack.

Yami stood up and activated his Diadiankh. "You've forgotten something! I can call upon the Egyptian Gods!" He said.

The Priests looked shocked. "Can it be? The legendary God monsters?" Shimon asked. "Are you referring to the three Egyptian gods that guard the Pharaoh's tomb? The scriptures say that only the chosen King will know the names of these monsters."

"Legendary Gods of Egypt! In the name of every Pharaoh that came before! Come forth!" Yami called.

"Awaken and rid the sacred palace of this darkness, Obelisk." The same voice Yami heard before said.

Suddenly a column of light formed over the palace as Yami summoned Obelisk, the Tormentor.

The Priests all gasped as Obelisk appeared.

Cat and Kay looked slightly amazed, but not as much, for they had seen Obelisk before.

"This can't be happening!" Bakura cried and then ordered Diabound to attack with the Blue-Eyes' White lightening attack that he absorbed from Kaiba in the duel before everyone came to Egypt.

The two attacks clashed and the palace became filled with bright light.

* * *

**Hm. Not as interesting of a chapter as I had hoped. Well...anywho...I still hope you enjoyed it anyways.  
See you next chappie! :D**


	43. Mana to Mahaado

Finally the two monsters' attacks exploded in a flash of light and they fell back, neither destroyed.

"It's impossible!" Shada exclaimed. "Their power is equal!"

Yami bent over from Obelisk's struggle and after a moment straightens up, calling Obelisk back.

Bakura grinned as he kneeled down on one knee. He also called Diabound back.

"I can't believe Bakura withstood the assault of an Egyptian God!" Seth cried in amazement.

Bakura stood up shakily. "If I hadn't acquired the attacking power of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes, Diabound would have been destroyed. I'd better take my leave, for now." He said quietly to himself. "This isn't over, Pharaoh! And you, Mahaado! Don't grow too fond of the Millennium Ring. At one time, it was mine."

"Lies! The Item was created for me!" Mahaado said.

"But it's destined for me." Bakura said. "In fact, all seven Millennium Items have been fated to fall into my hands."

And with that, Bakura turned and ran to his horse.

"Stop!" Yami shouted, but it was too late. Bakura rode away.

"Guards! After him!" Aknadin ordered some guards.

Yami ran out onto the balcony he woke up on, to watch as Bakura leapt his horse over the guards again and down from several high stone walls to the ground.

Bakura and his men rode down the main street of the city.

"I was…sent back in time to relive these events all over again." Yami said to himself and looked up into the sky, where he noticed an upside-down pyramid poking down through the clouds.

Shimon, Mahaado, Cat, and Kay joined him.

"What is that strange object in the sky?" Yami asked.

"What do you mean?" Mahaado asked.

Yami pointed up towards the upside-down pyramid. "It's right there in plain sight!"

But Shimon and Mahaado couldn't see it.

"I can see it." Cat whispered. "Why can't they?"

"I'm not sure." Kay said.

"Go inside, Pharaoh. It's been a long day." Shimon said.

"Alright." Yami said and looked at the other two girls. He could tell that they could see the pyramid too. He faintly thought to himself that it must have had something to do with Bakura's Shadow Game…but why were him and the girls the only ones who could see it?

Seth came out onto the balcony to join them, wondering if Yami was really the chosen Pharaoh the scriptures spoke of.

"The Pharaoh fought bravely." Aknadin said, standing behind Seth.

"Thanks to the Pharaoh, we can all rest well." Seth said.

"If only Kaiba could see himself fighting boldly at my side." Yami said.

Kay giggled. "That would be a sight to see? Too bad he's a stubborn guy."

* * *

"Can't these people see that it's only a card game?" Kaiba wondered, staring at his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card.

He glanced over at the Millennium Eye sitting on his desk. "What are you looking at?! Do you think it'll really change my mind?!" He asked the object and picked it up, holding it in front of his face. "I'm NOT going to Egypt!"

There was a pause.

"Look at me...I'm talking to an eyeball." He mummered as he continued to stare into the Millennium Eye. Suddenly, he saw a vision of himself as Seth, standing on the balcony with the Pharaoh, Luna and Khephera.

Kaiba gasped and jumped to his feet, dropping the Millennium Eye.

That was it.

Frowning, Kaiba got into his Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet, speeding off to Cairo.

"I've been hearing about this ancient nonsense for too long! The only way to shut these people up is to prove them all wrong!" He growled.

* * *

Yami stood on the balcony with Cat and Kay, watching the pyramid in the sky.

"If I'm unable to save mankind from the evil that's about to unfold...what will become of the future?" He asked.

"I don't know. But it probably won't be anything good." Kay said.

Yami looked down at the cartouche he received earlier, in his hand. Briefly pondering his real name. "The safety of our friends depends on my victory. I'll do whatever I can to protect Yugi, you two and everyone else." He said.

"We'll do our best to help as well, Pharaoh." Cat said.

* * *

"Every door looks the same!" Honda complained.

"We'll never find the right one." Yugi sighed.

Honda opened a door, only to find another door. "Everytime I open one door, I find fifty more inside!" He cried.

"Even the doors have doors!" Jounouchi cried.

Anzu looked at her watch. "Either the batteries just died, or time is standing still." She said.

Everyone continued to look around.

"Arg! If we don't find the right door soon, I'm gonna lose it!" Honda cried.

Jounouchi decisively pointed at a random door.

"That's the one! I don't have a Millennium Thingy, but I do have instincts!" He said, looking rather proud of himself.

Honda nodded.

"Let's bust that sucker down!" He said.

Honda and Jounouchi started to run for the door.

"Guys! Wait!" Yugi warned them. But it was too late.

Jounouchi kicked the door open and him and Honda charged through...only to find themselves running on thin air! The door led to an open space, far above the floor they were just on! In time, they managed to grab the edge of the doorway, before they fell to the floor where Yugi, Kristen, Anzu and Shadi stood, looking up at them.

"That's weird. How can they be up there and down here at the same time?" Kristen asked as she looked up where Jounouchi and Honda were handing and looked at the door in front of them, where Jounouchi and Honda were clinging to the doorway.

"Ask questions later." Anzu said as she, Yugi and Kristen pulled Jounouchi and Honda to safety.

"Many doorways within the Millennium Puzzle contain traps." Shadi said.

Jounouchi and Honda jumped to their feet.

"YOU COULD HAVE TOLD US THAT SOONER!" They both cried.

Everyone continued their way through the Puzzle before Anzu stopped. "You know...no one is closer to the Pharaoh than Yugi...maybe if Yugi concentrates, he can figure out which door the Pharaoh is behind." She suggested.

"I'll try. But ever since the Pharaoh's spirit left the Puzzle, I haven't sensed him at all." Yugi said and tried calling for Yami in his mind.

* * *

Yami, Cat and Kay were still on the balcony as Yugi called for him.

"It's strange. Everyone here seems to know me quite well, but I have no memory of any of them. What did all these people mean to me when I was Pharaoh? Were they my friends? Or merely servants?" Yami wondered.

"Well...I may not know the answer. But either way, if you treat them like your friends, all should go well. I mean...being the person you are, you probably made friends with them." Cat said with a smiled.

Yami chuckled.

"Maybe." He said.

Mahaado then walked up to them and kneeled before Yami.  
"I apologize for the interruption, but it's not wise for you three to be outside alone." He said.

"You're right." Yami said with a smile.

"I suggest you stay close, especially after today." Mahaado told the three.

They began to walk along the palace.

All of the sudden, a large pot beside the four rattled.

Yami stopped.

"Did you guys hear that noise?" He asked, looking at the pot.

Mahaado stepped in front of the four. "Stay behind me." He said, preparing to face the intruder.

And suddenly, a young girl, who looked around Cat's age and had a striking resemblance to the Dark Magician Girl, leaped out from the pot and onto Yami, hugging him.

Everyone looked at the girl, confused. Everyone except Mahaado.

Mahaado plucked the girl off of Yami.

"Mana! What do you think you're doing?" He asked.

"What? I can't pay a visit to my oldest friend?" Mana asked. "Ever since he's become the new Pharaoh, we haven't been able to talk."

"It's only been one day!" Mahaado pointed out.

Yami smiled. "You're...Mana. You and I grew up together." He said, beginning to remember who she was.

Mana laughed.

"I know we haven't spoken for a whole day, but you haven't forgotten me, have you?" She asked. "After all those years of practicing magic together? We're practically family!"

"Of course." Yami said.

"Have you been walking around in the desert without a hat again? You're acting really strange." Mana said. "Hmph! And least Lun and Khepehra would never forget their best friend, would they?"

Mana looked at Cat and Kay.

Cat and Kay cringed a little. They had no idea who she was!  
"Uh..." Was all they could say.

"AGH! What is with you three?! Seriously!" Mana cried in frustration.

"That's enough, Mana. It's not like it used to be. Can't you see that he is the King of Egypt now? And he doesn't have time fo-" Mana cut Mahaado off.

"He doesn't have time to speak for himself? Is that why you have been doing all the talking, Mahaado?" Mana asked.

Yami watched the two bicker, smiling.

"Hey, Cat! That girl, Mana...doesn't she look an awful lot like..." Kay whispered to Cat.

Cat nodded.

"She does look like the Dark Magician Girl. Maybe...she is?" She asked.

"It would make sense. Apparently she was a close friend of Luna's. Maybe that's one of the reasons why the Dark Magician Girl is your favorite card." Kay said.

"How did you get past the guards anyway?" Mahaado asked Mana.

"Let's just say my magic has been improving." Mana answered with a smile as she looked at the guards at the bottom of the stairway. The guards were surrounded with pink light and they weren't moving.

"Did you use your freezing spell? We need the guards to protect the palace." Mahaado reminded Mana.

"No problem." Mana said and tried to unfreeze the guards, but it didn't work. "Uh-oh." She materialized a spell book, looking through it frantically to find the de-freezing spell.

"Hurry up, Mana." Mahaado urged her.

"It's good to know that I have friends here as well." Yami laughed quietly.

Kay raised an eyebrow.  
"Oh? And we're not good enough?" She asked.

Yami looked over his shoulder to look at them and sweatdropped. "N-No, that's not what I meant..." He said.

"Relax. I was kidding." Kay said, smiling.

"We know what you meant." Cat said with a smile. "You're just happy that they weren't merely your servants and they were actually your friends, right?"  
Yami smiled and nodded.

* * *

Yami and Cat were taking a walk in an inner courtyard with Kay following them. Mana was following the three, skipping along on the edge of a large fountain.

"Is everything really going to change now that you've become the big, important Pharaoh?" Mana asked.

"It's hard to remember what life was like before I became King." Yami replied, not looking at her.

"Hm. You must have a lot on your mind these days. Do you guys still have time for me?" Mana asked.

"Of course." Yami replied.

Cat smiled at Mana.

"We'll always have time for you." She said.

Mana smiled back and Yami stopped walking.

"Mana...could you...would you...tell me more about us?" He asked hesitantly, hoping to regain more memories.

Mana stopped beside the three.

"This Pharaoh thing has made you weird." Mana said and then quickly covered her mouth. "Oops, did I say that out loud?"

"It's fine." Yami laughed.

"Now that you're the Pharaoh, I should start calling you things like, "Your Highness" and such." Mana said.

Everyone laughed.

"And since Luna is about to become your Queen soon, I should start calling her "Your Highness" as well." Mana said with a smile before thinking for a moment. "You know...when you two have kids, it's like I'm going to become an aunt, or something like that. That'll be great! I could teach them everything I know! You are going to have kids, right? Right, of course you are. You need heirs to the throne and all."

Yami and Cat blushed brightly at that comment, staring at Mana with disbelief.

Kay laughed hard at Yami and Cat's expressions.

"Even though I don't know Mana, I'm sure we'll get along just fine." She said to herself.

* * *

Yami sat on his throne with Shimon, Cat, Kay and the six Priests around him.

Mahaado kneeled before the throne. "Rest assure that the tomb of the former king, Aknamkanon, will never be disturbed again. My team of sorcerers are casting spells to secure it's walls as we speak." He said.

"Excellent." Yami said.

"I'll believe the tomb is safe from intruders once I've tested it for myself." Seth said. "We've seen what your magicians-in-training are capable of. I think a bit more training couldn't hurt. If you mess up again, you might not stay a Priest of the court."

"That's enough, Seth." Shimon said.

Kay sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"I'm starting to wonder how Khephera fell for this guy." She mummered.

"Good luck and thank you." Yami said to Mahaado.

* * *

Mahaado was going to face Bakura.

As Mahaado and his men were heading to their destination, Isis stepped into Mahaado's path.

"What's wrong?" Mahaado asked.

"I'm not sure if you should go through with this." Isis said.

"Oh…you were able to read my future." Mahaado said. "I'd prefer not to know. Keep an eye on the Pharaoh."

And with that, he continued on.

"In my vision…you do return." Isis said as he passed her.

Mahaado stopped.

"Thank you." He said and continued on.

"_It's always been my duty to protect the Pharaoh. I remember a time when we were children._" He thought to himself.

---

_A young child version of Mana jumped over and over to try and reach the plum in a tree but stopped when a younger Yami picked it for her, handing it to her._

_A younger version of Mahaado walked up. "I found you." He said._

_"I should have guessed my father asked you to look after me." Yami said to him._

_But before Mahaado could say anything, he spotted a poisonous snake in the tree branches behind Yami and Mana. The snake inched towards Yami._

_Mahaado quickly pushed Yami out of the way, getting bitten on the arm by the snake in the process. _

_Mana cried out in surprise as Mahaado fell to the ground, clutching his arm. "Prince…are you alright?" He asked. Mana started to cry._

"_I'm fine, but what about you?" Yami asked, kneeled down and began to suck the poison from Mahaado's bite._

_Mahaado looked surprised. "The future Pharaoh needn't do this!" He protested. _

"_I'm getting the poison out" Yami insisted. "I know you would do the same for me, because we're friends. Someday, when I become Pharaoh, I know that you'll be standing right by my side."_

---

"_Even as a child, the Pharaoh protected me. Even more than I protected him. I promise to return the favor._" Mahaado thought to himself.

"Sir…the Valley of the Kings isn't this way." One of Mahaado's men said.

"Be quite! Our orders are to follow Master Mahaado." One of the leaders said.

Mahaado glanced up to see a robed figure following them on horseback, on the ridge above them.

Not reacting, they continued through the desert ravine, until they came to a stone cave entrance.

Mahaado walked up to the entrance and stood alone.

"I swore I would never do this." He said. "But I don't see any other way. In order to defeat Bakura, I must release the power I sealed away long ago."

He walked inside.

"Millennium Ring! Unlock the force I buried here!" He called.

* * *

Nighttime. At this time, Mahaado was battling against Bakura, just as he had planned.

"Please, let us into Master Mahaado's tablet sanctuary!" Mana begged the guards that were guarding the door to Mahaado's tablet sanctuary.

Mana had sensed something wrong earlier. Something to do with Mahaado. Mana found Cat and woke her up, asking her to come with her. She hoped that since Cat was the Pharaoh's future Queen, the guards would listen to her and let them in.

"No one may enter until Mahaado returned!" One of the guard said and pushed Mana onto the ground. Cat gasped and kneeled next to her friend to make sure she was okay.

Mana sat up.

"What are you doing?!" She asked the guards angrily.

"That was a horrible thing to do! Please, let us in!" Cat said, frowning at the guards.

"I'm sorry your Highness. But the only people that can enter is Master Mahaado and-" They were cut off.

"Let them in."

Cat and Mana looked over their shoulders to find Yami.

The guards fell to their knees and bowed to him.

The three entered to tablet sanctuary.

"Why did you two come here?" Yami asked.

"I had a bad dream that Master Mahaado was in trouble and needed help. I could have sworn he was struggling and called my name." Mana explained. "I didn't know what else to do, so I thought if I came to his tablet sanctuary, I might be able to help him."

"I had the same dream." Yami said.

The three noticed the stone carving of Mahaado's Illusion Magician glowing.

"Mahaado must have called it into battle." Cat said.

"Illusion Magician exists in Mahaado's soul. If he loses it...Mahaado can't exist in this world." Mana said.

Suddenly, the three noticed that Illusion Magician's stone was starting to crack!

They gasped.

"We have to save him!" Mana cried.

"But how?" Cat asked.

"Mahaado!" Yami cried.

* * *

**New chapter! Yup...not much else to say. lol  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	44. White Dragon of the Past

Jounouchi clutched his head, groaning in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Honda asked.

Jounouchi simply pointed to an orange face, drawn on the door and then held up a marker. "I marked the door so we'd know if we've already been down this path!" He explained.

"Well...it was a good idea." Yugi said.

"If we ever get out of here, invest in an art class, Jounouchi." Anzu said. "On the other hand, it could be considered vandalism."

All around them, faces were drawn on doors.  
Jounouchi pounded the nearest door. "We'll never find the right door as long as we keep walking around in circles!" He complained.

"He's got a point..." Yugi said and looked at a door across from them. It was an unmarked door!

"We're gonna be stuck here for the rest of our lives with that ghost in a bathrobe!" Jounouchi cried.

"For your information, it's a sacred cloak!" Shadi said.

"Alright, break it up, you two." Anzu said to Jounouchi and Shadi as Yugi walked over to the door and stood in front of it, frowning.

"Hey guys...check out Yugi." Honda said.

Everyone looked over at Yugi who was still standing in front of the unmarked door.

"Did you find the right door?" Kristen asked.

"I'm not sure." Yugi replied. "But I got a feeling that something's on the other side of this one."

He grabbed the handle.

"Be careful, man." Honda said.

Yugi then opened the door and stepped in.

"Yugi, wait!" Anzu cried as everyone gathered at the doorway.

The room was large and empty. Only one thing stuck out in the darkness of the room.

"Is that the Pharaoh?" Honda asked.

Suddenly a spotlight, out of nowhere, came on. When they person turned around, it was Bakura!

"Bakura!" Yugi cried.

"What's he doing here?" Kristen asked.

Suddenly, Bakura's expression changed. It was the spirit of the Millennium Ring! Not their classmate!

Bakura laughed before crying out and disappearing as a creature formed in his place.

Jounouchi and Honda clutched each other in fear.  
"We should try the next door!" Jounouchi cried.

Flames started to shoot out from the creature's mouth and everyone rushed from the room, followed by the blast of flame that knocked them all down.

Honda sat up.  
"Is everyone okay?" He asked.

Yugi quickly jumped back up to his fet and ran back to where the room was. But it was gone!

"You have now seen the Pharaoh's enemy in his true form." Shadi said.

Yugi looked horrified.

"His true enemy? Bakura?!" He asked.

* * *

"Mahaado!" Mana cried and ran up to the large stone tablet that leaned against a cliff.

The battle between Bakura and Mahaado was over and during the battle, Mahaado had fused together with his Ka, Illusion Magician and had become the Dark Magician. But Bakura had the Millennium Ring now.

Becoming the Dark Magician caused Mahaado to be seal within a stone tablet, like a Shadow creature.

After the battle, Bakura disappeared and his men, which was fighting with Yami, ran away.

Yami, Cat and Kay, who had joined the three before they left to help Mahaado, jumped down from their horses and stood before the stone tablet which had the Dark Magician on it.

"His soul has been trapped in the stone...that means he lost!" Mana cried and began to weep.

"Mahaado...why?" Yami asked sadly.

* * *

Within the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi stopped, looking around.

"Did you guys feel that?" He asked. "The room just got cold...it's shaking."

* * *

The sun began to rise as Seth and the others arrived to find the four in front of the stone tablet.

"Pharaoh..."

Yami flinched when he heard this voice...it was Mahaado's voice!

"I made the ultimate sacrifice and now I can be your eternal servant." Mahaado said.

"Thank you." Yami said.

* * *

Yugi looked up. "It just got warm in here again." He said.

"This labyrinth is a reflection of the Pharaoh's heart. The temperature changes according to his emotions. Listen carefully and you'll locate the Pharaoh." Shadi explained.

"All this time, I thought we needed to knock on the Pharaoh's door, but what we really need to do is wait for the Pharaoh to knock for us!" Yugi exclaimed.

"You must listen with your heart." Shadi said.

"Let's do it!" Jounouchi said, determined. "I think, if we call concentrate at the same time, we'll be able to hear the Pharaoh!"

The five friends put their hands together.

"Close your eyes and listen." Shadi said.

Suddenly, Yugi and everyone else heard the Pharaoh call out to them. They continued to concentrate and the labyrinth split open, revealing a bright, white light.

* * *

Isis rode through the desert to join the other priests, along with Yami, Cat, Mana and Kay, in front of the cavern.

Mana was on her knees, weeping before the stone tablet.

Isis dismounted. "So it's true." She said.

"Master Mahaado! Please come back!" Mana begged and sank back to the ground.

Yami, Cat and Kay kneeled beside her.

"Pharaoh, please use your powers to release Mahaado from the stone, if you can." Mana begged.

"Mahaado's spirit is alive within the stone. In fact, he's even stronger now." Isis said to Mana. "My Millennium Necklace has shown me. He fused himself together with his most trusted creature."

"I'm confused." Mana said, looking up.

"Mahaado has been transformed and will now be known as the Dark Magician." Isis explained.

This didn't calm Mana down.

* * *

Everyone stood at the opening in the Millennium Puzzle, looking out over the Ancient Egyptian City below them.

"We've found it! The world of the Pharaoh's memory!" Yugi exclaimed happily.

"You're right. Now my work is done. You must continue on your own. Only those who were called upon by the Pharaoh may enter this realm. The King of Egypt needs your help. Good luck." Shadi said.

Everyone turned back to look at the opening.

"So...how do we get out of here?" Jounouchi asked.

Smiling, Yugi leapt down from the opening and fell towards the city.

"I was afraid of that." Jounouchi said.

Everyone jumped after Yugi, freaking out as they fell.

* * *

Everyone had returned to the palace.

"Due to Mahaado's carelessness, Bakura is even more dangerous than ever, for he now has the Millennium Ring." Seth said.

"That has yet to be confirmed!" Karim protested. "For all we know, Bakura was buried under rubble when the sacred sanctuary collapsed!"

"Perhaps, but my Key still senses Bakura's presence." Shada said.

"Isis, can your Millennium Item see Bakura's future?" Shimon asked.

"It can't." Isis replied.

"I apologize for our failures. I promise we won't disappoint you again, my Pharaoh." Seth said to Yami.

"I too apologize." Isis said.

"Apologies aren't necessary." Shimon said. "What we need are solutions."

"I'll do everything in my power to break through the darkness that conceals Bakura from my vision." Isis said.

"That's all we can ask for." Yami said.

"Time is of the essence." Seth said. "Pharaoh, allow me to lead the hunt for Bakura. I already have a plan in place."

"All gateways to and from this kingdom must be sealed to keep Bakura in. And every citizen must be carefully observed, since no one can be trusted." Seth continued, causing Aknadin to gasp.

"Seth's right. Until we have more information, everyone's a suspect." Shimon said.

"Alright. Proceed, Seth." Yami said, reluctantly.

* * *

Yugi, Honda, Anzu, Jounouchi and Kristen landed in the marketplace in the Ancient Egyptian city.

"Did we just travel through some kind of time warp?" Jounouchi asked.

"We stand out like sore thumbs." Honda said.

"You're right. But for some reason, everyone's ignoring us." Kristen said.

Jounouchi grinned and stepped up.  
"Hey everyone! Jounouchi Katsuya here!" He announced, but no one paid attention. He sulked a little before seeing a woman. He stepped up to her. "Hi there, miss!"

But instead of getting a reply, the woman walked right through Jounouchi.

Jounouchi freaked out and fell backwards, pointing to the woman. "SH-SHE'S A GHOST!" He screamed.

Yugi looked down at himself. "The Millennium Puzzle's gone." He said. "If we're in the world of the Pharaoh's memories, it's no wonder people don't see us! We didn't exist 3,000 years ago! So we're not really a part of this place."

"Does that mean, that when we find the Pharaoh, he won't be able to see us either?" Anzu asked.

"I don't know. But there's only one way to find out." Yugi said. "We have to go and see him."

* * *

Meanwhile, Seth, Kay and Shada were being carried through the streets.

Citizens bowed to them at the sides of the streets.

Kay looked around.

"How did this guy convince me to come along?" She mummered to herself quietly.

"Do you believe Bakura still walks among us?" Shada asked.

"Of course." Seth replied. "Bakura controls a monster with powers equal to an Egyptian God. Mahaado was a fool to face him and that's why his spirit is now sealed."

"What should we do?" Shada asked.

"We should strengthen our own army of shadow creatures and take Bakura down. We'll do this by extracting the beasts of darkness from the souls of the Egyptian people." Seth answered.

Shada and Kay were shocked.  
"Are you suggesting that we punish the innocent?!" Shada asked. "What would the Pharaoh say about that?!"

"I'm doing this to protect the Pharaoh and the citizens of Egypt." Seth simply said.

"I still don't like it." Shada said.

Seth ordered the guards to stop and he jumped down from his chair. "I'm not targeting the innocent, but seking out the souls of potential criminals." He said. Seth then turned to the guards. "Scour the kingdom and bring me any villagers you find suspicious!"

Kay stared at Seth.

"Man...for being Seto's Ancient self...he sure is different. And yet...at the same time...he isn't." She said to herself.

It wasn't long until the guards brought a man before Seth, forcing him to his knees. The man cried out for mercy.

"There's been a mistake! I swear I'm innocent!" The man cried.

"There's only one way to find out." Seth said. "You will be judged by the Millennium Items."

More guards came and threw a man before Seth. "We overheard him disrespecting the Pharaoh!" One of the guards reported.

"Shada, look into this man's spirit." Seth said.

Kay watched, her head resting in her hands. "Y'know...personally, I would just punch the guy for insulting my friend." She mummered.

Shada held up the Millennium Key. "Show me what lies in this man's heart." He asked the Item.

A clownish monster appeared. (It's Saggi the Dark Clown, by the way.)

"I sense an evil spark beginning to grow. The man appears harmless now, but he shows potential for greater evil." Shada reported.

"The vagrant is useless to me. Lock him up!" Seth ordered.

"You're making a mistake!" The man cried. "Why waste your time on the likes of me, when there's a much more serious threat among us?!"

"We're awake of Bakura and we've already taken steps to stop him." Seth said.

"I'm referring to the White Dragon!" The man said.

Seth turned to the man, surprised.  
"The White Dragon?" He asked, suddenly remembering a White Dragon attacking a village. "It can't be."

"It's true! The White Dragon stalks our town!" The man cried.

"I've heard enough! Take that man away!" Seth ordered.

The guards obeyed as the man shouted protests at Seth.

Kay gripped the sides of her chair until her knuckles were white.  
"The White Dragon? That man couldn't mean...the Blue-Eyes White Dragon...could he?" She wondered.

* * *

Yugi and everyone ran through the streets when Jounouchi suddenly stopped, falling wearily to his knees. "Can we take five?" He asked. "I can't run on an empty stomach."

"We're here to help the Pharaoh! Not to eat!" Anzu snapped.

"I want a hot dog!" Jounouchi whined.

Honda suddenly sank to his knees as well.

"Did you say hot dog?" He asked, looking hungry.

"Guys...hot dogs didn't even exist in this time." Kristen reminded them.

"Not to mention you won't be able to touch the food here, let alone, eat it." Yugi added in.

"SAY IT AIN'T SO!" Jounouchi and Honda cried.

Their complaints were cut short when they noticed a big, round man standing in front of one of the vendor's stalls, busy stuffing his mouth with the vendor's fruit. "Something's not right. That guy's devouring everything in sight! And no one's saying a thing!" Jounouchi said.

"HEY, YOU!" Jounouchi and Honda yelled at the man.

The man turned to them, surprised.

"Do you have something for us?" Jounouchi and Honda asked, drooling.

The man jumped in surprise, carrying an armful of fruit. "Help! I'm being attacked by hungry ghosts!" He cried and turned, running away with Jounouchi and Honda on his heels. As they ran, Jounouchi realized something.  
"He can see us!" He cried.

The man stuffed the remaining fruit he was carrying, into his mouth before double backing as Jounouchi and Honda leapt towards him.

As the round man ran past Yugi, Kristen and Anzu, Anzu stretched out a foot and tripped him. The man bounced through a crowd of people as Jounouchi and Honda dove after him.

But they missed.

The two boys hit the ground, landing in the middle of an angry crowd, gathered around a girl lying on the ground.

"Bobasa goes bye-bye!" The round man cried and ran through the crowd as Jounouchi and Honda leapt across the girl, who was being threatened by the mob of angry people.

Jounouchi and Honda noticed this and turned to face the crowd, ready to fight and protect the girl while Yugi, Kristen and Anzu ran to the girl.

"Are you okay?" Kristen asked the girl.

"She can't hear us!" Jounouchi reminded.

"I just remembered! None of these people can see us or hear us!" Honda said.

The crowd of angry people threw stones at the girl.

"No wonder the stones the mob is throwing don't hurt us." Jounouchi said.

"Think! We have to do something!" Honda cried.

Just then, Seth showed up. "What's going on?!" He demanded.

Yugi and the other four gasped in surprise.

"It's Kaiba!" Yugi exclaimed.

Shada stepped forward with his Millennium Item and gasped, shocked. "The power within this girl is too strong!" He cried and screamed, falling to his knees. "I've never felt such a powerful spirit before!"

"Really?" Seth asked and looked back at the girl. "There's something familiar about her."

Kay, who was behind Shada and Seth, saw the girl, but didn't notice Yugi and the others.

"She seems familiar in a way too." She said quietly to herself.

"Guards! Bring the girl with us! Give her all the food and water she desires!" Seth ordered as the guards went to her, picking her up.

Seth turned to the mob. "Everyone, leave at once or I'll put you all in shackles!"

Everyone left immediately.

"Way to go, fake Kaiba!" Jounouchi cheered.

"Hey, Yugi! Look!" Anzu exclaimed, pointing at the Millennium Rod in Seth's hand.

"I know...Kaiba has the Millennium Rod. And the other guy has the Key." Yugi said with a nod. "It makes sense. Kaiba was carved on that Ancient tablet. He must work for the Pharaoh."

"Don't say a word of this to the Pharaoh. We needn't concern him until they have a full understanding of what's going on." Seth said to the guards. The guards nodded. "Now...let us return to the palace!"

Everyone headed towards the palace.

"Hey! They could be our ticket to see the Pharaoh!" Honda cried and they ran after the guards.

As Seth, Shada and the guards with the girl, entered the gates, the group of friends stopped to stare at the size of the palace.

"Speed things up, guys!" Anzu said as the gate began to close.  
But they didn't make it and the gate shut them out.

"Now what will we do?" Kristen asked.

Jounouchi laughed. "Remember? We can walk through everything!" He said and ran towards the gate. Instead of walking through the gate, he ran right into the wall, falling to the ground. He sat up with a hand on his face in pain. "I DON'T GET IT!" He yelled. "Are we invisible or not?!"

Honda and Yugi walked up to the gate and touched it, also finding it solid.  
"It's time for one of our famous "Plan B's"." Honda said.

"Whoa! And I thought I was just seeing things when I saw you five out there."

Everyone turned around to find Kay!

"K-Kay?! Is that you?" Yugi asked.

Kay nodded.

"Y-Your hair! What happened?" Kristen asked.

"Remember that Ancient connection I have? Yeah. I guess this is how I was like in Ancient Egypt." She said. "How did you get here?"

"We came through Yugi's Millennium Puzzle." Kristen answered.

"What? Really? I guess that makes sense." Kay mummered. "I feels like it's been forever. It's been at least two days since we woke up here."

"Is Cat here as well?" Yugi asked.

Kay nodded again.

"Yeah. But she's locked up in the palace right now. She hardly gets the chance to leave." She said. "Not to mention, no one here except the Pharaoh calls us by our real names. Everyone here thinks I'm a priestess named "Khepheara". And get this...I'm engaged to the ancient version of Seto! Or should I say, "Priest Seth"."

Everyone's eyes grew and they blinked, shocked.

"Well...that's interesting." Anzu said.

"I know, right?" Kay said.

"So, what about Cat?" Yugi asked. "Is she who I think she is?"

"Bingo. Everyone here calls her Luna. The Princess that ran away from the Celestial Kingdom, her own Kingdom. We were able to get the story out of someone." Kay said. "And currently, she's engaged to the Pharaoh."

Anzu frowned.

"Are...they going along with this?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"Well...they're trying to keep it as light as they can, but yeah. They're going along with it." Kay answered before grinning to herself. "Even though I know they really do love each other."

Anzu twitched angrily.

"I have a question, by the way. You guys obviously don't look like you're from around here. Yet no one seemed to have caused an uproar when you were standing in the middle of the street." Kay said. "Why is that?"

"Apparently, we're invisible." Kristen explained.

Yugi nodded.

"That's right. We didn't exist in this time at all, so no one can hear us or see us. Well...except for you, thankfully." He said.

"And that one fat guy who ate all the food!" Jounouchi ranted. "When I get my hands on dat guy..."

"You and me both!" Honda said, looking as angry as Jounouchi.

Kay sweatdropped.

"Well...the important thing right now, is that we need to get into the palace." Yugi said.

"Ah...you've got a point." Kay said. "But there's no guards around right now. So even I can't get in at the moment."

"Perhaps I can help." A voice behind them said.

Everyone turned around to find the big, round man again; Bobasa. He was sitting on one of the stone statues, lining the road.  
"Hello! You gave me quite a scare! I'm not used to people seeing me." He greeted. "You also protected that girl, so I know you're good people."

He hopped down from the statue and hopped over to them like a huge beach ball. He then held out an armful of fruits and vegetables. "Would you like a snack?" He asked.

Jounouchi and Honda became delighted and eagerly grabbed the food.

"If you're invisible like us, why can you touch things?" Anzu asked Bobasa.

"It's a mystery to Bobasa too." Bobasa answered and snatched back a handful of food from Jounouchi and Honda, gulping it down.

"Bobasa, right? Why can't we get into the city?" Yugi asked.

Jounouchi and Honda looked worriedly down at their food after Bobasa took some more.

"I don't know." Bobasa said.

"Where are you from?" Anzu asked.

"Stop asking him questions!" Jounouchi and Honda snapped.

"When I get nervous, I get hungry." Bobasa said.

"Stop making Bobasa nervous!" Jounouchi and Honda snapped at Anzu.

"I'm trying to get us into the Palace!" Anzu snapped back.

Jounouchi and Honda clutched onto their food.  
"Well quit it!" They snapped back.

"I'm just trying to help!" She protested.

"What are we going to do?" Bobasa wondered.

Yugi turned away from his bickering friends with a sigh and walked up to the gate with one hand pressed to the stone wall. He looked up sadly at the gate.

"I know the Pharaoh is in there...and I'm going to figure out a way to help." He said.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
See you next chappie! :D**


	45. A Traitor in the Midst of Battle

Seth stared at the girl they rescued in the city.

He had finally remembered who she was.

Years ago, when he was younger, he saved her from a bunch of bandits. The bandits tried to stop the two, but they were able to escape. Seth sent the girl away with his horse. The girl said she would pay him back someday.

When Seth had returned to his village, it found that it was being burned down and attacked by the same bandits that he helped the girl escape from.

He tried to stop the bandits himself, but he couldn't. The bandits recognized him as the guy who let their prisoner escape and were about to attack him until suddenly a White Dragon suddenly appeared over the village and killed the bandits.

"It's her. She has finally returned." Seth said, standing over the sleeping girl.

* * *

During this time, Aknadin had encountered Bakura in one of the tablet sanctuaries.

Shocked that Bakura had survived and had the Millennium Ring, Aknadin tried to make him leave. But Bakura had something else in mind. He was going to make Aknadin serve him.

"You destroyed my homeland, took away my family and left me with nothing! It's time to pay the price, by serving me. I know you have a dark side, it just needs to be brought out." Bakura said and reached for Aknadin's Millennium Eye.

Aknadin's scream echoed through the sanctuary.

Elsewhere, Yami stood on the balcony of the palace. He gasped and held up the Millennium Puzzle. "It senses a dark presence." He said.

Shimon ran out onto the balcony.

"Pharaoh!" He cried before an explosion was heard.

Smoke began to rise from Aknadin's sanctuary.

"There's only one person capable of an act of treason like this." Shimon said.

Yami nodded.

"Bakura." He said.

Bakura had left the tablet's sanctuary and Yami ordered the guards to find him while the other priests came to Aknadin's aid.

Five guards blocked Bakura's path, but they were swept away before Bakura even reached them! Diabound appeared over Bakura's head.

Angered by Bakura's actions, Yami rode after Bakura on a white horse.

Bakura looked back at Yami. "The mighty Pharaoh has taken my bait!" He laughed.

Yami then called upon Slifer the Sky Dragon!

Slifer emerged from the tablet sanctuary and flew above him.

"The ultimate battle for the future of mankind will begin once again! Only this time, I'll prevail!" Bakura continued to laugh.

"Bakura! Stop running like a coward and face up to what you have done!" Yami yelled.

Outside the city and palace gates, Yugi and the others, along with Kay, were sitting against the wall, asleep. But suddenly, the gate blasted open! The group of friends jumped up to see Yami ride out after Bakura with Slifer following him.

"It's the Pharaoh!" Yugi cried.

"And that's a big red dragon!" Bobasa added in.

"This sort of thing used to surprise me...but now, not so much." Jounouchi said. "But that was defiantly the Pharaoh, even though he was dressed strangely."

"Did anyone get a good look at who the Pharaoh was chasing?" Honda asked.

"Bakura, no doubt. He's been causing trouble all over the place!" Kay said, frowning.

"We've got to help!" Yugi said.

Everyone except Kay ran after the Pharaoh. Kay ran back to the palace to warn Seth, Cat and the others.

* * *

While this was happening, Aknadin laid in his own bed, his Millennium eye bandaged. He was asleep and having dreams of the time when the Millennium Items were created.

How he had convinced the former Pharaoh, his own brother, to create the Millennium Items because Egypt was in danger of being destroyed. Pharaoh Aknamkanon agreed to the creation of the Millennium Items, not knowing what had to be done to create them.

It would take seven days to create the Millennium Items.

Aknadin then approached his family, telling them that in order to protect the kingdom, he was going to have to do the unthinkable. To protect his family, he told them to run far away. He had to make sure that people didn't realize he had a family.

He also told his wife that their son could never learn the truth about him. Aknadin's son with Seth!

Later one, Aknadin gathered a group of strong soldiers and went to the village, "Kul Elna".

In order to create the Millennium Items, the souls of evil people had to be captured. And Kul Elna was full of evil people. They were going to have to sacrifice the village.

Aknadin knew that if his brother, Pharaoh Aknamkanon, ever found out how the Millennium Items were created, he would never approve of it.

Once the soldiers reached the village, they started to round up villagers and herd them into an underground cavern where the Millennium Items were going to be created.

But little did they know, a young Bakura hid behind a doorway, watching in horror.

Aknadin then, after gathering the evil spirits he needed, created the Millennium Items.

The men that were working with Aknadin retrieved the Millennium Items from the stone it was created in. But all of the sudden, the cavern began to shake and created chasms in the ground. One of the men fell into the chasm.

Suddenly a huge monster rose from the chasm and grabbed Aknadin, lifting him up.

The monster told them to return the Millennium Items to their resting place, but Aknadin refused, placing the Millennium Eye into his own eye.

The monster retreated and everyone grabbed the Millennium Items and ran away.

Later one, Aknadin traveled through the desert with one man. But the man fell and Aknadin continued on his own, carrying the sack of Millennium Items.

He barely reached the city in time before he collapsed.

Once the Items were delivered, the Pharaoh and Priests, including Aknadin, stood up against their enemies and defeated them with the Millennium Items and Shadow creatures.

Years later, when Aknamkanon was still Pharaoh, a new Priest came along. It was Seth! Aknadin was glad to see his son again, but he couldn't let Seth know that he was his father.

Aknadin realized that Seth, even though he was stripped of his heritage as a young child, he had risen to greatness on his own.

At that moment, Aknadin decided that Seth deserved to be Pharaoh.

Aknadin woke up from his dream and grimanced.

"My son deserves to be King! And King he shall become!"

* * *

"Cat! Are you in there?!" Kay asked, knocking on Cat's door, which led to her chambers.

Cat opened the door.  
"What is it?" She asked.

"Bakura attacked again and the Pharaoh is chasing after him! They're about to battle! C'mon!" Kay said, pulling on Cat's arm, dragging her with her. "I've already warned Seth and he's getting ready to leave."

Cat stumbled, trying to keep up with Kay.  
"Do you think they'll even let me come along?" She asked. "Ever since Bakura has been attacking, they won't let me leave the palace, saying it's for my own safety."

"Psh. Don't worry about it." Kay said and ran outside, towards the stables.

"Hey, you! What do you're doing?!" One of the guards said, stepping in front of Kay and Cat, causing them to stop.

"What does it look like we're doing?!" Kay asked. "Get out of the way!"

"I can't let you take Princess Luna outside of the Palace gates. Pharaoh's orders." The guard said, standing firm.

"Not if I have anything to say about it! Move it!" Kay snapped.

"What's going on here?" Seth asked, stepping up to the three from the stables.

"Lady Khephera wishes to take Princess Luna outside of the Palace walls." The guard explained.

Seth frowned at Kay.

"Khephera! You know better! The Pharaoh's orders won't allow this!" He scolded.

Kay glared up at him.  
"I don't recall the Pharaoh ever making such an order!" She replied.

"Orders are orders." Seth simply said.

The two began to argue and the guard tried to make them stop fighting. Cat watched the three before looking over at the stables, a few horses standing there, ready to go. "Hm." Cat sighed and snuck over to the horses before climbing onto a grey one. She tried to sit correctly. "I don't even know how to ride a horse..." She mummered to herself quietly. "Not only that, but I don't know if I can even help Yami." She sighed. "Well...that's never stopped me before!"

She gasped as she began to slide off, not sitting correctly. She quickly clung onto the horse and pulled herself back into the correct position.

The three stopped fighting and looked over at Cat.

"Luna!" Seth cried. "Come back here!"

"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine!" Cat called back, picking up the horses' reins. "The Pharaoh needs our help, so stop fighting and lets go!"

She snapped the reins and the horse whinnied in response, running forward.

"LUNA!" Seth yelled before growling. "The Pharaoh is not going to be pleased." He looked at the guard. "Follow her and try to stop her."

The guard nodded and ran to a horse, following Cat.

"HEEEEY! YOU JERK!" Kay snapped at the guard. "You don't listen to me, but you listen to Seth?!"

"Enough, Khephera. Let's go." Seth said and jumped ont his own horse before taking off.

Kay sighed, irritated before doing the same.

* * *

Yami continued to chase Bakura while Slifer pursued Diabound.

"It's time to show off Diabound's newest ability!" Bakura said. "Diabound! Use Illusionary Shockwave and attack Slifer!"

Diabound did so and Yami grimaced in pain as the attack hit Slifer.

"Diabound steals the abilities of the enemies it defeats! That attack came courtesy of Mahaado!" Bakura laughed.

"Slifer! Use your Lightening Blast!" Yami ordered and watched as it hit Diabound. But then, he noticed an attack coming up behind him.

"You're not in the clear just yet!" Bakura said.

Diabound appeared beside Yami and attacked, but Slifer jumped between Diabout and Yami, counterattacking. Diabound was then thrown back into the sky as Bakura clutched his chest in pain.  
"You'll pay for that, Pharaoh!" He yelled.

"You've forgotten who you're dealing with!" Yami called.

"You've forgotten that this battle isn't one of your little card tournaments! In this arena, I have the advantage!" Bakura called back.

Bakura then ordered Diabound to destroy the city.

Diabound attacked and started to blast buildings and sweep citizens away. Bakura laughed as he rode through the destruction.

"STOP!" Yami shouted. "The fight is between you and me!"

"It's time to decide! Continue to fight me? Or save your people?" Bakura yelled.

Diabound descended on two children, standing helplessly on the street. But before Diabound's attack reached them, Slifer intervened, saving them. The kids ran away as Slifer continued to absorb Diabound's attacks.

Yami ordered Slifer to protect the villagers.

"But I wonder how much abuse Slifer can endure. I guess we'll have to see." Bakura said to himself.

The villagers ran as Bakura stopped atop a building at the end of an alley and Yami rode up below. "It looks like a dead end! So much for saving your villagers!" Bakura said.

"No harm shall befall the people of my kingdom!" Yami insisted as Slifer attacked Diabound, who counterattacked. The two blasts of energy met in a huge fireball.

* * *

Yugi and the others paused as they watched the fight between the two monsters.

"Those are definitely not holograms!" Honda said.

"Yeah." Yugi agreed.

* * *

Slifer grabbed Diabound's serpent tail in its teeth and carried it up into the sky.

"I refuse to let you put the people in any more danger!" Yami said and ordered Slifer to take the fight into the skies. "My people are safe."

"Slifer may control the skies, but Diabound commands the darkness." Bakura said. "Making him infinitely more powerful."

Diabound suddenly disappeared. "My creature has the ability to move in Shadow. By the time it reveals itself, it will be too late." Bakura explained.

Just then, an attack blasted out of nowhere, hitting Slifer.

"How should I conclude this battle? Should I destroy Slifer? Or this city?" Bakura wondered. "Or perhaps I'll have Diabound crush the Pharaoh! There's a simpler way for the Pharaoh to save his city! Surrender the Millennium Puzzle to me, and I'll leave you and your villagers alone."

"If I hand over the Millennium Puzzle, Bakura will become unstoppable. But I can't let him just harm my people." Yami said to himself, taking the Puzzle from around his neck and held it out. "If I can just distract Bakura for long enough…I might be able to defeat him. It's my only hope."

"Pharaoh! Get off your horse and kneel before me!" Bakura said and laughed.

"SLIFER! NOW!" Yami yelled.

Slifer flew towards Bakura, jaws open. Bakura looked surprised.

"Call off Diabound, and I'll call off my monster." Yami said.

"No. Two can play at this game." Bakura said.

Slifer remained with its teeth about to snap over Bakura's head.

But Diabound was behind the Pharaoh, with its claws poised to crush him.

"It looks like a draw." Bakura said. "But looks can be deceiving. Diabound! Destroy the Pharaoh!"

But before Diabound attacked, another monster leaped in, defending Yami from Diabound.

Yami recognized the monster.

"That's...Seth's creature!" Yami exclaimed and looked over his shoulder to find Seth, some of the other Priests and Kay, riding towards them.

"We'll save you, my Pharaoh!" Seth shouted.

Seth and the others rode up to Yami.  
"Are you all right?" Karim asked.

"I'm fine." Yami replied before he noticed another horse riding up.

"I left before you, and yet you all made it here before me!" Cat said as she stopped her horse with everyone else's.

Everyone except Kay looked shocked.

"Luna! What are you doing here?! Where's the guard I sent after you?" Seth asked.

"Um...he got lost on the way, I guess. He kinda disappeared." Cat replied.

Yami approached Cat.

"Cat, what are you doing out here? You were supposed to stay in the palace. You could get hurt out here!" He said, making sure only Cat and Kay could hear what they were saying.

"So you DID order everyone to keep Cat locked within the palace. Really Pharaoh, I'm disappointed." Kay said, frowning. "Don't start abusing your re-discovered power to take away Cat's free will!"

Yami looked a little taken aback by Kay's comment.

"No...it's okay. I understand why he did it." Cat said, looking down at the reins in her hands. "He just wanted to protect me is all. And I appriciate it." She looked back up to the other two. "But I want to help in any way that I can. Even if it means putting myself in danger."

"But, Cat..." Yami protested.

"I think it's a good time, right now, to stop and just accept it." Kay said, cutting Yami off.

"Pharaoh...I know I'm not very strong...and at times I get in the way...like when the Rare Hunters kept trying to kidnap me back in Battle City. But...I still want to try. There has to be something I can do." Cat said.

Yami's expression softened a little.

There she goes again. Doing her best even though she's scared and she knows that she isn't strong.

Yami sighed.

"Alright. But promise that you'll stay close, okay?" He said.

Cat smiled and nodded once.  
"Right!" She said.

Bakura frowned at the group and rode away, outnumbered. Diabound followed him.

"YOU COWARD!" Seth called after him.

"Don't be fooled. Bakura might be trying to lead us into a trap." Yami said.

Seth then ordered his captain to have his men follow Bakura and for some other men to evacuate all citizens to the palace courtyard.

* * *

As the city burned, people ran to the palace.

Yugi and the others were running in the other direction, searching for Yami. They stopped and looked around.

"There's no sign of the Pharaoh anywhere!" Jounouchi said.

"He can't be too far." Honda said.

"Look!" Kristen cried, pointing to the sky where Slifer could be seen.

* * *

"Duos! Find Bakura!" Seth ordered his monster.

Karim summoned his monster, Helimai, to join Duos.

"Be careful. Diabound could be near. It hides by night." Yami said.

Then, suddenly, an attack blasted out of the clouds, destroying Karim's monster.

Karim hunched forward, gasping.

"If we're to defeat Bakura, we must stand tall!" Seth said.

"I'll be fine." Karim said. "But there's no telling where the creature lurks…or where it will strike next."

Yami urged his horse into a gallop and rode away with a grim expression.

"PHARAOH!" Seth called.

"We'd better follow!" Kay said.

Everyone nodded and followed Yami.

"Bakura has already become more powerful than I imagined. He must be stopped before he gains another Millennium Item." Yami said to himself.

Bakura stopped his horse on a ridge, overlooking the city, and watched as Slifer flew overhead.

"Who knew that the Pharaoh could be led astray so easily?" He asked himself.

Yami ordered Slifer to seek and destroy as he rode towards Bakura.

He then stopped his horse below the ridge as Slifer flew up.

"Bakura! We should finish this now!" He called.

Seth and everyone else rode up behind Yami.

"How can we defend ourselves against an enemy we can't see?" Kay asked.

"Our Pharaoh controls the Egyptian gods, the most powerful beings in this realm." Seth said.

Bakura then ordered Diabound to attack with Helical Shock Wave, and Yami told Slifer to counter with Thunder force Strike.

* * *

Aknadin stood in the Yami's tablet sanctuary, staring at the three stone tablets of the Egyptian god monsters.

"The time has come." He said. "Farewell, Pharaoh."

Aknadin threw a sword at Slifer's stone tablet, stabbing the stone.

The sword fell from the stone tablet and a blast of energy hit Aknadin, who staggered, before falling to the ground. Shada, who had just entered and didn't see what Aknadin did, ran to him.

* * *

Slifer reared back and Diabound hit Slifer with full force…destroying Slifer.

Yami reeled from Slifer's destruction, clutching his chest painfully.

"Seth...it's...up to you." He gasped.

Seth then ordered Duos to attack with it's Aura Sword.

The monster threw it's sword into the swirl of light, from which Diabound's attack came from. It was a direct hit.

But Bakura only laughed. "Do you really think you've destroyed Diabound?" He asked.

The monster that was struck by Duo's sword appeared…and it wasn't Diabound.

Yami's vision was starting to blur. "We must fight on…I can't…give up now." Yami gasped, but lost consciousness and slid off of his horse and onto the ground.

"Yami!" Cat cried and ran over to him.

* * *

**Whoo...'nother chapter!  
Yeah...not sure what to say today either. Ack.  
Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	46. The Lost King

When Yami opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Yugi. He was holding him up.

Jounouchi, Cat, Kay, Honda, Kristen and Anzu were gathered around him.

"Yugi?" Yami asked.

"You can see us!" Yugi exclaimed happily.

"Hey pal! You all right?" Jounouchi asked.

On the ridge above, Bakura watched on, surprised.

"How could those five brats be here?! Not to mention the two girls that were dragged into this world of memory with the Pharaoh!" He growled.

Yugi took Yami's hand. "We're a team!" He said.

Yami suddenly felt his energy returning. He then suddenly jumped up and leaped back onto his horse.

"Bakura! Your reign of terror is over!" He cried and held up his Diadiankh, calling forth the Winged Dragon of Ra.

Clouds rushed across the sky and suddenly, a bright light shined through them, lighting up Diabound and making it visible.

"It can't be! How can he summon a beast so powerful?!" Bakura cried.

Then, a huge golden dragon appeared in the sky.

"It's the Egyptian sun God! The mighty Winged Dragon of Ra!" Seth cried.

Ra faced off with Diabound.

"It doesn't make any sense! When I destroyed Slifer, the Pharaoh was rendered powerless! So where did he find the strength to call upon, yet another Egyptian God?!" He asked himself before spotting Yami's friends standing beside them. "Reuniting with his former host restored the Pharaoh's life force."

"Once again, you and I will save mankind together." Yami said.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way!" Yugi said.

Diabound recoiled from the light.

"Without darkness, Diabound has no way to conceal itself." Karim said.

"But now, Diabound has the power of an Egyptian God! Diabound! Attack with Slifer's Thunder force strike!" Bakura cried.

Duos used it's sword to shield Ra.

Yami then ordered Ra to transform into it's Phoenix form. Doing so, the burning dragon then attacked Diabound.

Bakura burst into flames as his monster was destroyed.

"The darkness is no more." Seth said.

"I hope you're right." Cat said.

Bakura's horse reared and Bakura fell to the ground, smoke rising from his body.

Diabound descended to earth in flames as the guard in the city watched. Everyone began to cheer and Bobasa finally joined the gang.

"If it wasn't for Yugi's bravery, Bakura would have won." Yami said to himself and looked at Yugi. "Friendship conquers all."

"Hey Pharaoh! You won, right?" Jounouchi asked.

Yami nodded.

"Egypt is safe now. But it wouldn't have been possible without you all." He said.

"You did all the work." Yugi laughed.

"No. You gave me the strength I needed to fight." Yami said and held out his hand. "We're a team."

Yugi, Cat, Kay, Kristen, Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu all put their hands on his.

"Even two continents and 3,000 years couldn't keep us apart!" Anzu said.

Bobasa smiled. "I love a happy ending." He said.

Bakura continued to lie on the ground, covered in soot. "I won't...let it...end like this! Sands of time! Reverse yourselves, so that I can alter the past!" He said.

All of the sudden, a great whirlwind rose in the desert.

"We must leave now, Pharaoh!" Seth said.

The events that just happened with the monsters started to move backwards.

"This can't be! Is time flowing backwards?!" Yami cried.

Everyone held onto each other as the strong wind reversed time and the battle went in reverse until the clouds opened up and the darkness returned.

Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda, Kristen and Anzu were then blown away by the winds.

"YUGI! DON"T GO!" Yami called.

But they were already gone.

Suddenly, a chasm opened at Yami's feet as Duos' Aura Sword returned to Duos and Slifer reappeared.

But then time returned to normal and Slifer was destroyed again.

Yami suffered from the attack again as Bakura laughed and everyone called out to Yami.

Weakened, Yami rode up the ridge towards Bakura.  
"What have you done?!" He cried.

* * *

Yugi and the others ran through the burning city, trying to find Yami.

"Is it just me, or did we do this already?" Jounouchi asked.

"I'm having some major déjà vu!" Honda said.

It wasn't long until the five reached the other side of the ridge, calling to Yami.

"I've bought back some time." Bakura answered and ordered Diabound to attack again. This time, Diabound's attack smashed the ground in front of Yami, causing the ridge to collapse under him. Everyone watched in horror as Yami and his horse plunged into the chasm.

But once the dust cleared, Yami was still clunging to the edge with Bakura standing over him.

"The tables have turned." Bakura said, reaching down and taking the Millennium Puzzle from around Yami's neck. "Where you're going, you'll have no use for this."

Bakura then stomped on Yami's hand, causing Yami to let go and fall into the chasm.

Yugi and the others called for him as they reached the chasm. But they were too late.

"YAMI!" Cat screamed and tried to go after him, but Jounouchi and Kay had to hold her back. Cat struggled against them and continued to cry Yami's name as tears ran down her face.

Bakura laughed. "Farewell for eternity, Pharaoh." He said before walking away.

"Karim! Hurry! We must lead a search for the Pharaoh!" Seth cried and they rode away with their men following.

Honda ran after Bakura. "This is for the Pharaoh!" He yelled and punched Bakura.

Bakura looked at him and smiled as blood dripped from his lip. "I like your style. I could use you." He said, licking the blood from his lip before he grabbed Honda by the neck, lifting him off the ground.

"Let him go!" Kristan cried.

"Bakura!" Yugi yelled.

Bakura then tossed Honda onto Kristen and Yugi, knocking them all over.

"Fools! You're no match for us!" Bakura laughed.

"Us?" Both Yugi and Kristen asked. They all looked up to see Bakura's robed henchmen.

"Friends! Hurry! This way!" Bobasa called.

Everyone ran past Bakura, while Bakura's men began to ride down the ridge.

Bakura smiled. "I'm in control of this shadow game." He said. "Reversing the hands of time was a mere taste of what I'm capable of. Now I have five more Millennium Items to seize."

Bakura men rode up to him as Yugi and the others hid with Bobasa under the ridge.

"We're all safe now." Bobasa said.

"All except for one." Honda said.

"We've got to find the Pharaoh!" Jounouchi said, determined.

Kay stood next to Cat, making sure she didn't do anything rash. She looked at her friend before looking at Yugi.

"But...he fell into a pretty large chasm." Kristen pointed out.

"The Pharaoh is okay. I know it." Yugi said. "We're in the world of his memories, right? Everything is still here. So the Pharaoh must be too. Otherwise, everything would disappear."

"Oh, I get it!" Jounouchi said.

"All we have to do is search this place until we find him." Yugi said.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Anzu asked.

"We've gotten this far. The rest should be a piece of cake." Yugi answered.

Cat was hardly listening and staring at the ground as tears continued to run down her face.

"Cat, don't worry too much. Yugi said the Pharaoh is okay. He's alive." Kay said, trying to cheer Cat up.

Cat looked up and looked at Kay, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah...you're right." She said quietly.

* * *

Dawn came quickly and Seth, Karim, Isis and Shimon stood around the empty throne as a guard kneeled before them.

"We're sorry. We've scoured the kingdom, but we couldn't find the Pharaoh." The guard apologized.

"What about Khephera and Luna?" Seth asked.

The guard shook his head.

"Even if you have to drain the river Nile, I want them found!" Seth snapped. "The Pharaoh still walks the earth and if we expect our kingdom to survive, he must return to the throne!"

Isis was concentrating on the Millennium Necklace.

"Can you see what the future holds?" Shimon asked Isis.

"One tiny ripple moves across a sea of shadows. As it spreads, one among them will vanish. More ripples follow...and before long...they will merge to form a devastating force. Time is running out." Isis said.

"Does this foretell the fate of our kingdom?" Shimon asked.

"I fear it foretells the fate of the entire world." Isis answered.

"The order that brought about the seven Millennium Items is falling apart. And I thought it would last forever. How could one man have caused all this?" Shimon wondered.

* * *

Seth walked through the halls of the palace with Shada.

"How is Aknadin?" Seth asked.

"I told him of the peasant girl we found and Aknadin stormed out in a fit of rage." Shada answered and they entered the room where the girl was being kept.

But she wasn't there!

"Where did the girl go?" Seth asked the guards.

"Uh…Aknadin took her to the subterranean battle ground." One of the guards answered nervously.

"What?!" Seth cried.

"Do you know why?" Shada asked.

"I can explain…Seth, follow me."

The two turned to find a short, strange and scary little man who was in black robes.

The man led Seth down a series of stairways; deep under the palace to an underground cavern, where monsters faced each other's while their controllers stood on platforms, hanging from the ceiling on chains.

"This can't be." Seth said.

"Let the battle commence!" Aknadin cried.

Seth looked over to see Aknadin sitting in a tall, throne-like chair at the side of the cavern.

"Master Aknadin has gone mad!" Seth exclaimed.

"This is no time to be resting! Don't you know the rules of combat? Strike down your opponent!" Aknadin ordered one of the men.

Behind Aknadin's chair, Seth spotted the girl in a cage, clinging to the bars, looking rather frightened.

"Attack!" Aknadin repeated his order.

And one of the men's monsters attacked the other.

Seth ran to Aknadin. "Have you lost your mind?!" He cried. "Forcing prisoners to battle one another for your own amusement?! I can't allow this! You must cease at once!"

"Be silent! I'm only executing your idea." Aknadin said as the battle between the two monsters continued. "I understand the Pharaoh is gone. Don't you think it's time we made the necessary provisions?"

Seth looked horrified. "The Pharaoh is out there! The royal guards are searching for him as we speak!" He protested.

"Be realistic. It's time to call a new Pharaoh to the throne. Someone…like you." Aknadin said. "But…you can't lead the empire alone. You'll need an army of powerful creatures, whose might rivals that of the Egyptian gods themselves. And that is exactly what I'm creating for you."

Seth turned away. "What dark forces are at work here?" He growled to himself silently.

"Guards! Lead the next prisoner to the battlefield!" Aknadin ordered.

The guard opened the girl's cage.

"You can't be serious!" Seth cried.

"This young woman is not the meek peasant girl she appears to be. She harbors the most dangerous shadow creature we've ever seen." Aknadin said.

The guards pulled the girl from the cage and lead her to the battlefield.

"This is an outrage! I won't stand here while you endanger an innocent girl! Even if she is powerful, she's done nothing to deserve this!" Seth cried.

"Stop being so naïve. In this case, the innocent must be punished for the greater good of our people." Aknadin said.

The guards rose a wooden ramp, leading to a hanging platform covered in raised spikes.

"That girl may be the key to the survival of Egypt." Aknadin said.

The girl turned to Seth, seeing the young boy who once saved her. "Help me…" She said.

The guards forced her onto the ramp.

"There is no other way." Aknadin said.

The girl stood trembling as the two monsters that were battling loomed over her.

"Let the battle begin!" Aknadin laughed.

One of the men on the platforms laughed.

"If this is our opponent, I can defeat her with my arms in shackles!" He laughed.

Both monsters attacked while the girl stood, defenseless.

"Don't hold back your rage, girl! Show them the beast the dwells within!" Aknadin called to the girl.

"_I've never seen Aknadin behave this way! Bringing harm upon the innocent!_" Seth thought to himself, horrified.

"I was told that this child harbors the most powerful creature ever imagined. Why doesn't she call it forth to protect herself?" Aknadin wondered to himself.

One of the monsters, an insect like monster, threw a rope like attack at the girl, which wrapped around her.

"Finish her off!" One of the men cried.

"I've wasted enough time! I must see her power!" Aknadin complained.

"Why does she hesitate? Perhaps she is not who I though she was." Seth said to himself.

The girl turned to look at Seth again.

"I can't let this madness continue." Seth whispered to himself as the two monsters closed in on the girl.

Seth then summonsed Duos and leaped in front of the girl to protect her.

"Seth! Get back up here!" Aknadin called.

Seth used his Millennium Rob to free the girl from her bonds and turned back to the monsters.

"You're safe now." He said.

"Thank you." She said.

"What is you're name?" Seth asked.

"Kisara." The girl replied.

"You two! Call off your monsters!" Seth called to the two men.

"You've got a lot of nerve to face us! You're the reason we're in the dungeon in the first place!" One of the men cried.

"Seth! Don't do this!" Aknadin cried, jumping up from his seat.

"Be quiet!" Seth snapped.

"The Pharaoh's servant wants to be a here, so who are we to stand in his way?" One the men asked. "Go ahead. Save her."

Seth ordered Duos to attack, and it slashed the chains, holding the men's platforms.

One of the monsters plunged into the depths.

Seth and Kisara's platform was partly cut as well. Seth hung from one of the chains by one arm and held into Kisara's hand with the other.

The man with the insect monster was okay though. The monster approached Seth.

"SETH!" Aknadin cried.

Seth looked down at Kisara, who suddenly began to glow with blue aura, her eyes glowing.

Everyone watched in awe as the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon formed above the put.

"That's it!" Seth cried. "That's the creature I saw as a child."

"I thought that it was only a myth!" The man with the insect monster, cried.

"Kisara, please use your power to protect us." Seth said.

The man ordered his insect monster to attack, but Kisara's eyes began to glow again, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon counterattacked, destroying the man's beast and the man himself.

"It's incredible! I've never seen such power!" Aknadin examined.

Seth carried an unconscious Kisara to one of the guards.

"Make sure she gets some rest." He said.

The guard nodded and carried her away.

"Do you have any idea what we now hold in our hands? The girl wields a beast with enough power to annihilate Bakura's Diabound with one blast! But we need to take it from her, which would mean sealing her soul in stone." Aknadin said.

"Have you lost your mind?" Seth asked angrily.

"Don't let your emotions cloud your reason. That girl is your key to the throne." Aknadin said.

"We already have a Pharaoh! And I intend to find him, not replace him!" Seth protested and began to walk away.

Aknadin grabbed his wrist. "Don't waste your time. Rumor has it that the Pharaoh has died! And Egypt cannot survive without a king." He said. "Do what's right for your country and take the throne."

Seth pulled away. "That's enough. You have disgraced the name of the Pharaoh and I won't be a part of it."

* * *

Jounouchi, Honda, Yugi, Cat, Kay, Kristen and Anzu were pulling on something, hard. It was Bobasa, who hung from the side of a cliff, while the gang tried to pull him up.

"I bet you! Please don't let Bobasa go!" Bobasa begged and they were finally able to pulled hm up to safety...where he landed on top of them all.

They all groaned.

"The weight...it's crushing my ribs..." Kay struggled to say.

"Would you mind getting off of us?!" Jounouchi snapped.

Without answering, Bobasa jumped up excitedly and ran to the cliff behind them, which over looked the Nile River.

"I'm so happy to see the Nile River!" He said with glee.

Yugi sighed. "I'm beginning to think we'll never find the Pharaoh." He said.

Kristen put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find him. I'm positive that we will." She said, smiling.

Yugi returned the smile and put his hand on hers, causing Kristen to blush.

"Thank you." He said.

"I have a feeling the Pharaoh's somewhere along this river! After all, a guy needs food and water!" Jounouchi said with a grin.  
Yugi smiled and nodded.

Bobasa began to slide down the cliff toward the river and everyone followed.

Unknown to them, Bakura's men gathered on a cliff, watching them.

* * *

**Again...not sure what else to say. Lol Tired...very tired...yup...  
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	47. Childhood of a King

"I know I have what it takes to be an elite spellcaster. I just need a little more practice." Mana said to herself with determination as she stood by the riverside.

Just then, a fish jumped up from the river and Mana pointed her staff at it, letting out a cry. The spell activated and the fish was frozen in mid air.

(Note: Frozen as in "Can't move. Not cold frozen.)

"Excellent!" She cried happily and giggled. She started to play with the fish, making the fish flout and fly all over the place. "Fly up high! Now down low! Then side to side!" She felt rather pleased with herself. "Oh yeah! I think I've got the hang of this!"

But suddenly, the fish stopped moving and she wasn't able to move it again. She waved her staff in frustration, reciting spells. But instead of moving, the fish blew up like a balloon and deflated, flying around until it hit poor Mana in the face. The fish peeled off of Mana's face and fell back into the river, swimming away.

Mana fell to her knees in disappointment. "It's back to the spellbook." She groaned. "How am I supposed to do this? I miss Mahaado." She began to cry but stopped when she suddenly heard voices behind her. She looked in the river to see the reflection of Yugi and the others behind her.

"I don't think she can see us." Yugi said.

But then, Mana stood up and faced them. "Pharaoh!" She cried happily to Yugi. "What happened to you? You shrunk! And you're dressed in strange clothing! In face...you all are." She paused, spotting Cat and Kay. "Well, except you two."

"I guess it's safe to assume she can see us." Jounouchi said.

"She must be like Bobasa." Honda said.

Bobasa then ran up with a large fish in his hand.

"While you were making small talk, I was catching big fish!" He cried happily.

"You were supposed to be looking for the Pharaoh! Not for lunch!" Jounouchi snapped.

"And this is coming from the guy who always puts food first?" Kay asked, putting a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow.

Bobasa stopped and turned around to show them a bluish, purple cape.  
"And look what else Bobasa found!" He said cheerfully.

Everyone gasped.

"That looks just like the Pharaoh's cape!" Jounouchi cried.

"I found it floating in the Nile." Bobasa said.

"'Ey! That cape didn't happen to have a PERSON attached to it, did it?!" Jounouchi snapped.

"Is it possible that the Pharaoh is still around?" Anzu asked.

"I hope so. Maybe he was washed away?" Honda suggested.

"Shut up." Anzu said.

"Yeah, you're not exactly being much help right now." Kay said, frowning at him.

Honda blinked before spotting Cat who still looked a little depressed. He quickly covered his mouth.

"Oh yeah...oops." He said and faked a laugh. "Just kidding!"

Kay sighed.

"Knock it off." She grumbled.

"That must mean the Pharaoh is still around here somewhere." Yugi said.

"If you're not the Pharaoh, then this must mean the king is missing." Mana said.

"Will you help us look for him? You're his friend, aren't you?" Yugi asked.

"The Pharaoh is my closest friend." Mana said.

"Mine too. I know we're going to find him soon." Yugi said.

Mana looked slightly surprised.

"Wait...you're the Pharaoh's closest friend too?" She asked.

"We all are! In fact we've been pals for a very long time!" Jounouchi said.

"If that's true, then why don't I know you?" Mana asked.

"It's a long story." Kristen answered.

Suddenly, they all heard a horse neigh. They all turned to see Bakura's men riding towards them.

"If you guys are friends of the Pharaoh, then you're my friends too!" Mana said with a smile and used her magic to cause the river to rise and sweep Bakura's men away while everyone else escaped.

* * *

Yami sat in a cave at the riverside, scraped and bruised.

"The Millennium Puzzle is gone…in Bakura's hands now." He said to himself.

He remembered the horrible things that Bakura said about his father.

"I wonder…if Bakura's words could be true. Did my father really bring harm to innocent people in order to create the seven Millennium Items? Or did he rule justly, and restore peace in Egypt? I wish I remembered more about him." He said.

Suddenly…Yami had a vision.

---

_A baby cried in Shimon's arms._

"_This day has brought us a great blessing! The new Prince of Egypt is born! And one day, he will lead us as Pharaoh." He said._

_It was Yami as a baby._

_The king took the baby out onto the balcony of the palace, where he held the child up to the cheering crowd._

---

_Yami as a small child, slowly made his way across the courtyard, his arms reaching out to his father as he was learning how to walk. He stumbled, causing him to fall. He started to cry. _

"_Come on…you can make it." The king encouraged._

_Yami stood back up and continued to walk towards his father._

_Finally he made it to his father's arms and threw himself in them, crying._

"_It's alright. Everyone falls once in a while. That's what makes us stronger." His father said, stroking his head._

---

_An older, but still young Yami followed his father into a stone passageway._

_Yami wiped tears from his eyes. "Must I go with you father? I don't like this place. What are we doing here anyways?" He asked. _

"_This is something you need to witness." His father replied. "But you needn't be afraid. This sanctuary is protected by the Egyptian gods themselves."_

_They entered a large cavern, lit with torches._

"_As long as you show respect, nothing will harm you." Yami's father said to him._

_Yami stood on the top of the stairway. "I-I won't go any further!" He insisted. _

"_It's not your choice." His father said, continuing on._

_Yami hurried to follow him and they walked out onto a high stone bridge. Yami stepped too close to the edge and the stone crumbled under his foot and he fell, catching the edge of the bridge with one hand._

"_Father! Help!" He cried. _

"_Lift yourself up." His father replied in a soft voice. _

_Yami, after a short moment, pulled himself up to safety and continued to follow his father._

_At the other side of the bridge was an altar with figures painted on the walls over it._

"_Who are these people?" Yami asked. _

"_They're the Pharaohs who came before." His father replied and kneeled down before the altar, calling out to the Egyptian gods to hear him. "I have committed a crime beyond atonement and I am truly sorry. By bringing the seven Millennium Items into the world, I have destroyed the lives of thousands" He said and bowed low. "I bear full responsibility for these actions. Please…spare my son." _

_Tears fell on the ground under the king._

"_Father are you alright?" Yami asked and started to cry himself._

_Suddenly, flashes of lightning lit up the cavern. Yami gasped in surprise. _

"_Don't be afraid, my son. You're safe now." The king said. _

---

"I think I remember now…my father surrendered his own safety to insure mine." Yami said to himself and then spotted a large strange figure before him, obscured by a bright light.

"Who are you?"

"I am known as Hasan, and I've come to warn you of impending danger. Zorc, the Dark One will soon awaken." The figure said.

"Who is Zorc?" Yami asked.

"He's the embodiment of pure darkness." Hasan replied.

"What can I do to stop him?" Yami asked.

But when he asked that, the figure was already gone. Only a voice was left.

"When the time is right, you'll know."

Yami stood up and slowly walked out of the cave.

"I'll…protect everything my father struggled to build." He said.

As he stood outside of the cave, he noticed a father and son fishing.

He sighed.

* * *

Everyone walked with Mana along the river.

"I've never met a real magician before." Yugi said to Mana.

"I'm really only half of a magician, considering that only half of my spells work." Mana giggled.

"Where I come from, there's a card game called Duel Monsters. And there's a character in the game who looks just like you." Yugi said. "Her name is Dark Magician Girl and she's really powerful. I bet if you keep practicing your spells, you can be just as strong as she is."

"What's your name anyways?" Anzu asked Mana.

"It was Mana, but now I'm thinking about changing it. To Dark Magician Girl!" Mana giggled.

"Would you like to practice your spells by conjuring up a large, sardine sandwich?" Bobasa asked before stopping suddenly.

Jounouchi crashed into him.

"'EY! Watch where you're goin'!" He snapped and Jounouchi stepped around him before stopping as well, spotting what Bobasa saw.

It was Yami, standing on the beach below!  
Everyone ran up to the edge.

"PHARAOH!" They all called.

Yami blinked and looked up at them. He smiled at them.

They all ran over to happily greet him.

"Everyone..." Yami said quietly.

"Great ta see ya buddy!" Jounouchi called.

"We were so worried about you!" Anzu cried.

They all stopped when they reached him.

"I'm sorry I worried you all. I'm fine." Yami said.

"That's what's important." Yugi said.

Yami smiled at them before it faded when Cat stepped up to him, tears in her eyes. She was frowning. It was the frown that made Yami speechless. Was she angry at him for some reason?

Before Yami could say anything, Cat stepped closer and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. Yami blinked in surprise.

Listening carefully, he could hear her whispering something.

"Thank goodness...thank goodness..."

Yami smiled and returned the hug.

Everyone else, except Anzu, smiled as well.

* * *

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet arrived over Egypt.

"You have arrived at Cairo, Egypt, sir." Kaiba's flight command said.

Kaiba looked out his window, seeing pyramids in the desert below.

"I could have told you that by looking out my window." Kaiba grumbled.

The jet landed in front of the Egyptian museum, where Marik, Ishizu and Rishid waited.

"You're right, Ishizu. Kaiba did show up." Marik said.

Kaiba hopped out of his jet.

"Who are you?" He asked the three. "The welcoming committee?"

"Have you forgotten us already?" Ishizu asked.

"How could I forget the three freaks that turned my Battle City Tournament into a circus sideshow?" Kaiba asked. "Step aside, I have work to do."

"Don't bother. The stone tablet is no longer here. It has been returned to it's resting place." Ishizu said. "That's what you seek, isn't it? The Pharaoh's tablet?"

"Not quite." Kaiba said and took the Millennium Eye out of his jacket, showing it to them. "That punk, Bakura, handed this to me just before he walked out on our duel."

Marik looked surprised when Kaiba mentioned Bakura.

"Bakura must be planning to prevent the Pharaoh from fulfilling his destiny! We have to make sure he fails...but how?" He wondered.

"Kaiba, we need you. I'll make you a deal. We'll help you locate Bakura if you help us save the Pharaoh." Ishizu said.

* * *

Mana giggled cheerfully as she bounded up and down on Bobasa's huge belly. Both of them were laughing happily. After that, Mana chased Bobasa down the beach, playing some unknown game.

Yugi looked at Yami, who sat beside him on the beach. "I heard about Bakura. So he's the evil force you battled all these years ago." He said.

"That's right. And now Bakura has our Millennium Puzzle. An item passed down to me from my father." Yami said.

"Does that mean your memory's back?" Yugi asked.

Yami shook his head.

"I only remember a fragment of my childhood, when I was prince and my father protected me. My father was a powerful leader who created the Millennium Items in order to restore peace to Egypt. But I'm afraid the seven items have a dark side as well." He answered.

"That must be why Bakura wants to get a hold of them." Honda said.

"You're right. And I must do everything in my power to stop Bakura, just as I did in the past." Yami said.

"We're all here to help you." Yugi said.

"By the way, did you ever learn what your name is?" Anzu asked.

Yami pulled the cartouche from beneath his tunic, showing everyone. "See for yourself." He said. The cartouche remained blank.

"Oh...so I guess it's still blank, huh?" Anzu asked.

"No one here calls me by my real name. They refer to me as "King" or "Pharaoh"." Yami said.

"Hey! C'mon everyone! Come on in! The water's nice!" Mana called to everyone as she and Bobasa sat in the water before splashing each other, laughing.

* * *

Seth stood over Kisara's bed. "I hope she'll rest well. She possesses a gift that might save us." He said to himself. "But now her secret is out. Master Aknadin wants to take that power away from her. What puzzles me is how a man who built his reputation on giving mercy to criminals can be so heartless. When I first entered the Pharaoh's court, it was him who taught me compassion and reason. Now I hardly recognize him."

One of the guards rushed to Seth.

"Priest Seth! I've just received word that the Pharaoh's all right! He's on the south bank of the River Nile!" He said.

Seth nodded and strode out of the room, giving the guard a command.

"Move Kisara to another room quickly! And make sure no one sees you."

* * *

"The Pharaoh has been found!" Shimon announced the joyous news to the royal guards.

The guards cheered.

"The Pharaoh is in good health, and Shada will see to it that he returns safely." Isis said, consulting her Necklace.

"We can all rest easy now." Shimon said.

Aknadin looked shocked as he stood to the side. "It's impossible! How could the Pharaoh have survived?" He asked himself so no one could hear.

Isis gasped.

"Wait! I see something else!" She said and paused. "I have terrible news! The Pharaoh's Millennium Puzzle is missing!"

* * *

Bobasa came up from behind Yami and Yami turned around, looking up at the large man with a confused look. "Uh...who are you?" He asked.

"You are a lot shorter than Bobasa thought you'd be." Bobasa said with a serious look before laughing. "I'm kidding."

"Uh, Pharaoh, meet our new friend and honorary new member of the group." Yugi introduced Bobasa to Yami. "We would have never found you without his help."

Bobasa laughed again.

"Oh come now! You're making me blush!"

Yami smiled at Bobasa and held out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you." He said as Bobasa took his hand with both of his. They shook hands.

"The pleasure's mine." Bobasa said.

Just then, Shada and his men rode up to Yami and the others.

"Pharaoh!" Shada called and everyone looked at Shada.

When Shada reached Yami, he bowed before him, kneeling on the ground. "I'm glad to find that you're safe." He said.

"I'm sorry to have alarmed everyone." Yami said.

Jounouchi stuck his hand in front of Shada's face. "He can't see us, right?" He asked.

Shada then stood up quickly.  
"YOU!" He yelled, making Jounouchi jump back in surprise. But he wasn't talking to Jounouchi.

Mana, Cat and Kay were trying to sneak away, but stopped when Shada snapped at them.

"You three knew of the Pharaoh's whereabouts all along, didn't you?!" He snapped.

The three looked at him, sweatdropping.

"Uh...maybe?" Mana said.

"More importantly, we've found Bakura's hiding spot." Shada said to Yami, suddenly ignoring the other three. "We've traced his trail to a deserted village, once known as Kul Elna."

"Excellent!" Yami said and jumped onto one of the horses the rescue party brought. "To Kul Elna!"

"Hold it! We're coming too!" Jounouchi said.

"It's too dangerous for you to join me. Bakura has challenged me to a Shadow Game with the ultimate stakes." Yami said. "You should go back to your own world and let me deal with this."

Mana jumped onto the horse as well, sitting behind Yami as they took off.

"Bye everyone! It was nice meeting you!" She called.

"Well...that was great." Kay said sarcastically. "There he goes, running head first again."

"Do...you think that we should find a way back home, like he wanted us to?" Kristen asked.

"Well..." Kay started, but didn't finish.

"You guys go ahead and go back if you want."

Everyone looked at Cat, who was clumsily trying to get on one of the horses left behind for the her and Kay. She struggled to get onto the horse. "I...don't want...Yami...to go...alone!" She grunted. "Me and Kay...was involved in...his past...and helped him...defeat the enemy. I...can't...let that change! Or...who knows what'll...happen!"

She let out a yelp as she accidentally fell off the horse, hitting the ground.

Everyone sweatdropped at Cat.

"You're in no position to try and help save the world." Anzu said sarcastically.

"But I suppose you're right." Kay said. "If we change the past, we may end up changing the future. Which...if I'm right...is bad." She sighed. "Alright. I'm going too. But the rest of you don't have to stay. You should probably listen to the Pharaoh."

Kay hopped onto the other horse, next to Cat, who was finally able to get on the horse correctly before the two rode off after Yami, Shada and Mana.

"Yeah? Well the Pharaoh still needs all the help he can get!" Jounouchi said.

"We can't even pick up an apple in this world! So how can we help?" Honda reminded him.

"I don't know! But I'm not quitting that easily!" Jounouchi said.

"Jounouchi's right. The Pharaoh would never give up on us." Yugi said.

"We're not giving up on him either!" Jounouchi said.

"YEAH!" The five cried in agreement.

* * *

**Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	48. Battle Within Kul Elna

Everyone rode up to the deserted village, all in ruins.

"I've heard that this village was once populated by criminals and deviants, and one day they just disappeared." Shada said.

Spirits seemed to fly around the deserted village as they rode through the empty streets.

"I've heard that this town is inhabited by ghosts!" One of the guards said nervously.

Mana shrunk down behind Yami. "Can't we just leave Bakura a note, asking him to meet us somewhere that isn't haunted?" She asked as more spirits flew around. "Anyone with me?" Everyone was silent. "Guess not…"

Suddenly, a skeletal arm reached up from the ground to grab one of the horses' legs.

The horse reared in shock and the guard that was riding the horse fell to the ground where more skeletal hands reached for him.

Then, an army of skeletons with swords appeared. Some rising from the ground, others coming from the ruined buildings.

Mana screamed as everyone was suddenly surrounded by the ghostly army.

Shada and his men fought off the skeletons as Mana cringed behind Yami, her eyes filled with frightened tears, when suddenly she heard a voice.

"You have the power to defeat them."

That voice...it sounded like Mahaado!

Listening to the words, Mana jumped off the horse, holding up her staff.

"You don't need to protect me, Pharaoh! I should be the one protecting you. If I want to be one of your elite spellcasters one day, I shouldn't be hiding behind you. If Mahaado was here…he'd say the same thing." She said, suddenly.

"Very well." Yami said.

Shada activated his Diadiankh and summoned Two-Headed Jackal Warrior.

The monster began to smash the skeletons right and left.

Mana and Shada were back to back.

"We'll fight, Pharaoh! You find Bakura!" Shada said.

They each exchanged their good lucks and they parted as Yami continued into the village.

* * *

"Revenge will soon be ours. The son shall pay for the sins of his father." Bakura said to the spirits that swirled around him.

Yami found the stairway that led to the underground cavern. He made his way down to the bottom of the stairs.

"Welcome, Pharaoh. I'm impressed. Your father never had courage to come here." Bakura greeted.

* * *

The skeleton army was beginning to close in on Mana. She shut her eyes tightly and activated her magic. Her staff glowed and the skeletons broke up, falling to dust. Mana re-opened her eyes to see the street empty before them.

"Nicely done." Shada said.

Mana looked up and smiled to see a figure appear in the sky, glowing pink.

She figure looked like…the Dark Magician Girl!

Just then, Cat and Kay rode up to the two.

"Mana! Shada! Where did the Pharaoh go?" Cat asked.

"The Pharaoh went to find Bakura at the end of the village." Shada answered.

"Luna! Don't tell me you plan to go down there!" Mana cried.

Cat nodded and was about to continue on until Shada stood in front of her horse.

"Your highness, I cannot allow anything to happen to you! So I cannot allow you to do this! The Pharaoh would be furious if anything happened to you." He said.

Cat frowned with determination.

"I don't care what happens to me. He needs help! He's helped me countless times before...and I can't allow myself to be weak any longer." She said and quickly rode around him.

"LUNA!" Mana and Shada cried as she rode off, Kay soon following after.

* * *

"Bakura! I challenge you to continue our duel!" Yami snapped.

"But there's something you should look at first." Bakura said, pointing to the stone he was sitting on.

"Is that the Legendary Millennium Stone tablet?" Yami asked.

"It's the one and only." Bakura replied. "The stone is guarded by the spirits who were imprisoned to create it. Your father destroyed their village and captured their souls in order to gain the power to dominate mankind. I know this because I am the only survivor of the village!"

"My father created the Millennium Items in order to gain peace and prosperity for Egypt!" Yami insisted.

"That's what you've been told by your guardians, but they lied!" Bakura said. "Spirits! Show the Pharaoh the truth!"

The spirits then circled Yami and he cried out in pain.

"Soon your spirit will join theirs! Trapped for all eternity." Bakura said.

Yami fell to his knees and clutched his chest in pain.

"Without the Millennium Puzzle, you're powerless!" Bakura laughed. "Finally, the town of Kul Elna strikes back!"

Suddenly the spirits surrounding the Pharaoh were blown away and the Dark Magician stood in front of Yami.

"Mahaado!" Yami exclaimed.

Bakura glared at Mahaado.

"Getting destroyed once wasn't enough, so you're back for round two!" He said.

"I'm here to save my King." Mahaado answered.

"You don't have to put yourself in harm's way again." Yami said.

"I made a vow to always protect you and that vow will hold no matter how powerful our foe." Mahaado said.

"Mahaado…did my father truly destroy a village to forge the Millennium Items?" Yami asked.

"I can answer that! Since I was there when it happened!" Bakura interrupted. "It was an evening that I'll never forget. I watched in horror as your father's henchmen harnessed the souls of my fellow villagers to further his own selfish needs!"

"How could he? My own Father?" Yami cried.

"What Bakura has failed to mention is that every person in this village was evil." Mahaado said.

"How do you know that?" Yami asked.

"I've always sensed the darkness within my Millennium Ring, so I began to research the spell used to create it. I then reported my findings to the former Pharaoh, who was as surprised as I was when he learned what had occurred at Kul Elna." Mahaado continued.

---

"_What?! How can these bring peace, if they're plagued by evil?!" Aknamkanon cried._

"_It's not your fault. You didn't know." Mahaado said._

---

_Mahaado kneeled down at Aknamkanon's bedside as the Pharaoh laid there._

"_Every task carried out by my guards are my responsibility, and now I must pay, by confessing my crime to the Egyptian gods." He said._

---

"My father was innocent!" Yami cried.

Your father took the blame so that you could continue his legacy, by finally bringing peace to Egypt." Mahaado said.

"You're right." Yami said.

"Are you finished?" Bakura asked and then laughed. "Spirits! Destroy both of these fools!"

Yami looked up, remembering his father kneeling before the altar of their ancestors.

"My father was a worthy king!" Yami cried as he stood up. "I owe it to my father to take you down, Bakura! And restore the land to prosperity!"

The spirits were just about to hit Yami, until he was knocked out of the way.

Cat had pushed him to the side, causing them both to fall over, without getting hit by the spirits.

Kay finally made it to the bottom of the stairs.

"Nice save!" Kay said. "But I'll give you a 4.5 for the landing."

Yami looked at Cat as they sat up. "Cat?" He asked. "What are you doing here?! It's too dangerous!"

Cat looked at him with all determination. "Yami…I won't let you do this on your own. You've helped me so many times…unconditionally. And so now it's my turn to repay the favor." She said. "I'm going to help you. I don't care what happens to me."

"But I care!" Yami said. "I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you!"

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT ME!" Cat cried and there was a silence between the two. "I-I'm sorry for yelling…but this truly isn't about me…its about you. These are YOUR memories. And I'm here to help. I'm sure…Luna did the same thing." She said more softly.

Yami stared at her for a moment longer before he sighed. "I suppose I can't stop you then. All right. Just promise me you'll be careful." He said.

Cat smiled and nodded. "You can count on it." She said.

Kay joined them.

The spirits were coming around for another attack, but Mahaado jumped in front of them, holding out a hand, putting up a magical barrier against the oncoming spirits.

"Bakura! Return the Millennium Items to where they belong!" Yami commanded.

"I suppose you think the Items belong with you. If you'd been paying attention, you'd know that the Items were meant to be back in their original resting-place, which is where I plan to put them." Bakura said.

"Never!" Yami cried.

Bakura activated his Diadiankh and summoned Diabound.

"He's evolved!" Kay cried.

Diabound looked bigger and even more vicious-looking.

"Be careful." Yami said to everyone as Mahaado moved in front of them.

"Diabound! Use Thunder force attack!" Bakura cried.

"Dark Magic Portal!" Mahaado responded, creating the portal, which absorbed Diabound's attack and redirected it.

The attack hit one of the pillars and it started to fall on the Millennium Stone.

"Diabound! Stop the pillar!" Bakura ordered and Diabound stopped it with it's serpent tail.

Mahaado took this chance and attacked, hitting Diabound's eye.

Bakura staggered back, his hand over his eye. "You will never destroy Diabound! And just wait until you meet Zorc the Dark One!" He cried.

Yami gasped, remembering Hasan, warning him about Zorc.

"The stone tablet conceals the source of his true power, so I'll call upon another Shadow creature to protect it." Bakura said and summoned Skeleton Fiend, which formed around the tablet.

"Anyone up for a game of hide and seek?" Bakura asked as Diabound disappeared.

"We mustn't let it get away!" Yami said.

Mahaado sent a series of attacks around the cavern, searching for Diabound. The attacks blasted holes in the walls and ceiling of the cavern. Sun shined through some of the holes in the ceiling.

"My Diabound is concealed by the darkness, so trying to attack him is pointless!" Bakura said.

"We weren't attacking him." Yami said.

Diabound was revealed in one of the shafts of light.

"Finish him off!" Yami said to Mahaado.

Mahaado attacked Diabound and the blows that Diabound received threw Bakura back. Diabound began to sink to the ground.

"It's over." Yami said.

Bakura struggled to his feet. "Not yet." He said. "Mahaado may have improved his skills, but he's not good enough to keep me down! Spirits! Fill me with your power, so I can avenge your suffering!"

Bakura laughed as he began to glow bright red with the spirit's strength. Diabound rose again. Mahaado attacked again, but Diabound blocked his attacks, before counterattacking with Spiral Shock Wave. Mahaado was thrown back into one of the pillars and then fell to the ground. Bakura ordered for Diabound to attack with Lightning Blast and Mahaado disappeared, leaving only a hole in the ground.

"Game over." Bakura said. "The Dark Magician is no more."

"Mahaado is safe."

Everyone looked up to see the Dark Magician Girl carrying Mahaado by the arm towards one of the holes in the roof.

"Who summoned you?" Mahaado asked.

"A former student of yours." The Dark Magician Girl replied and looked up at Mana, who kneeled on the roof, over one of the holes, her eyes close, working on her spells.

"Mana!" Everyone cried happily.

Mana smiled at them.

"I thought you might need some help!" She said. "Don't worry."

Mahaado smiled.

"You've always been my top student." He said. "I never imagined you'd one day save me. Even in my absence, I can see you've been keeping up with your training."

Mana slid down one of the pillars to join Yami, Cat, and Kay

"Thanks for your help." Yami said.

Bakura frowned angrily. "You should have stayed at home, girl!" Bakura growled at Mana.

Mahaado resumed his place, standing in front of everyone. "It's time." He said and the Dark Magician Girl moved to his side.

They attacked together, sending repeated blasts of magic at Diabound.

"Nice try, but it will take more than that to defeat my Diabound!" Bakura said with a grin. "Spirits of Kul Elna! Give my creature some company!"

Just then, two more Diabounds formed beside the original.

"Diabound has picked up a few new tricks, thanks to my spirit friends." Bakura said as the three Diabounds began to attack. Mahaado and the Dark Magician Girl counterattacked and the duplicate Diabounds were destroyed.

The real Diabound attacked with Helical Shock Wave, causing Mahaado and the Dark Magician Girl to be swept away. Mahaado was slammed into a wall and Yami fell to his knees in pain while Mana kneeled beside him, in pain as well.

Bakura laughed. "Your reign is over, Pharaoh!" He cried. "But maybe I should have some fun with this. Diabound! You know what to do!"

Then, Diabound launched an attack…right towards Cat.

Everyone cried out her name and, knowing she wouldn't have enough time to dodge, she held up her arms to try and shield herself.

As the attack came closer, she started to glow a little.

There was an explosion of light as the attack hit the ground and everyone gasped as the light cleared.

There was nothing left.

Bakura laughed at everyone's shocked expressions.

"I might as well add a little misery to your soon to be death. But don't worry…you soon be joining your "loved one" very soon!" He cried.

"CAT!" Yami screamed as he stared at the spot she was in. His eyes wide and full of shock.

Kay's face was full of shock as well. She put a hand over her mouth.

"N...No..." She whispered.

Bakura laughed as Yami clentched his fists tightly. He glared at Bakura in rage. "Y-You..." He growled.

Mana looked like she was about to cry until suddenly, she spotted something.

"G-Guys! Look up!" She gasped, pointing at something.

Everyone looked up to where Mana was pointing, including Bakura.

There, in mid-air, Cat was being carried by…a woman?

"I-Is that Luna's Ka?" Mana asked, surprised.

"What?!" Bakura cried.

Cat's (Really Luna's, though.) Ka looked just like the Dark Magician Girl, only she looked a little older and she had blue eyes. Her eyes were sharper and her outfit was a little different from the Dark Magician Girl's outfit. The outfit was green and had jewels all over. Plus her staff was different and her hair was the same as Cat's (Luna's which is a lighter brown) only more red.

"The…Magician's Valkyria?" Yami gasped.

Kay sighed in relief. "Oh my…thank goodness! I thought she was a smoldering crater for a moment there!" She said.

Magician's Valkyria held onto Cat with one arm as she glared down at Bakura. Cat still looked a little shaken up from before. Her Ka then flew her down safely next to the others and set her down before joining the other two Magicians. The Magician's Valkyria set Cat down and Cat slid to her knees.

Yami put a hand on Cat's shoulder. "Are you all right?" He asked.

Cat smiled weakly. "A-A little shaken up…b-but fine. Thanks." She replied in a shaky tone.

Bakura looked furious. "Diabound! Attack again!" He cried angrily.

Mana stood up and glared at Bakura as she created magical hats to hide herself, Yami, Cat and Kay. And the attack destroyed one of the empty hats.

"You can't hide!" Bakura cried as Diabound attacked the hats, causing Yami, Cat, Kay and Mana to be thrown back as their hat was destroyed.

"Diabound! End this!" Bakura cried and Diabound swiped a clawed hand at Yami. But suddenly, a sword flew through the air, slashing Diabound's arm. The monster recoiled and so did Bakura, clutching his own arm.

Duos, Seth's creature, arrived just in time to save Yami.

Seth, Karim, Isis, and Shimon ran down the stairs into the cavern and gathered around the five. They had finally arrived to Kul Elna.

"I see that there are now three more Millennium Items present." Bakura said with a grin.

"Are you all right?" Shimon asked Yami.

"Mahaado!" Isis exclaimed as Mahaado came up. "You have returned…just like I predicted."

"Even though my spirit is sealed in stone, I'll continue to protect our king." Mahaado said.

"Your devotion is an inspiration to us all." Shimon said to Mahaado.

Seth stepped forward. "We'll have plenty of time to praise Mahaado later. Right now, we have a villain to defeat." He said.

Bakura laughed.

"Yes. The Pharaoh is weak and time is short." Karim agreed.

Isis then summoned Mystical Elf, which replenished the life energy of Yami, and he glowed with new strength.

He stood up, ready to continue on.

"Pharaoh! It's too dangerous with out your Millennium Puzzle. You should leave Bakura to us!" Shimon said.

"That's an excellent idea! That way, I can acquire three more Millennium Items, for a grand total of five!" Bakura said, grinning.

Seth, Karim, and Isis stood together in front of Yami.

"Yeesh. I'm starting to feel useless." Kay said, rubbing the side of her head. "Hey Cat, how did you summon the Magician's Valkyria?"

Cat shrugged.

"I'm not entirely sure. It sort of just...happened." She replied.

Kay sighed.

"I guess I can ask Seth later. I'll go insane if I can't get on into the action too." She said.

Karim summoned the Curse of Dragon, which joined Duos, Mahaado, Dark Magician Girl and Magician's Valkyria to defend everyone.

"The more, the merrier." Bakura said. "Diabound! Show them the power of the shadows!"

"Respond with a synchronized blast!" Seth cried to everyone.

The monsters all counterattacked together, but when the smoke cleared, Diabound was unharmed behind a web of spirits.

"Diabound is protected by the dark spirits of Kul Elna, who despise the kingdom as much as I do! As long as we remain in the village, the spirits will protect me." Bakura laughed.

* * *

**Again...not much to say. Sorries...x.x  
But I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	49. The Search for the Pharaoh's Name

"Your attack will never penetrate my spirit shield!" Bakura laughed.

"I'm afraid he's right." Karim said.

Diabound attacked and destroyed Mystical Elf.

"The Elf won't be regenerating anyone's strength now." Bakura said.

Isis sunk down in pain and Cat, Kay and Mana ran up to her.

"I-I'll be fine." She said.

Kay growled at Bakura. "You know, you're REALLY starting to bug me!" She snapped. "If it wasn't for that huge monster of yours, I would have ringed your neck dry a long time ago!"

Bakura only laughed, thinking to himself that he would soon have the seven Millennium Items, allowing Zorc the Dark On to rise. And this time he wouldn't be defeated. Thanks to his newest servant…he remembered holding Honda by the neck.

* * *

Everyone was collapsed on a ridge overlooking the river. "Chasing bad guys makes me hungry." Bobasa said.

"I don't even wanna hear you talk about food." Jounouchi said.

Below, they could see Bakura's men crossing the river.

"It's weird that Bakura's men hasn't come after us since the Pharaoh left." Yugi said.

"We're safe, so who cares?" Honda said, already standing up. "We should be focusing our energy on figuring out how to help the Pharaoh win."

"Yeah. If we want the Pharaoh to defeat Bakura again, we have to do our part." Anzu said.

"Hey…Honda. You're acting a little strange. Aren't you a man of action?" Jounouchi asked.

"I am?" Honda asked and shook his head, getting a dark look in his eyes. "Never mind that. The Pharaoh saved Egypt from destruction, he lost his memory. What if he did it on purpose?"

"I can't believe we never thought about that before! The Pharaoh must have been protecting a secret that only he knew!" Yugi cried in realization.

"I don't get it." Jounouchi said in a clueless tone.

"The Pharaoh didn't just forget his past, he wiped his memory clean so no one could bring back the evil that he locked away!" Yugi explained.

But what was he trying to hide?" Kristen asked.

Anzu was in thought. "Wait! His real name!" She said.

"Yeah. The Pharaoh's real name had to remain a secret." Yugi said with a nod.

"How did you guys figure that out?" Jounouchi asked.

"The Pharaoh's name was removed from the stone tablet. The Pharaoh must have used it as a password of sorts to lock the evil creature away." Yugi explained. "Now Bakura is trying to resurrect that monster to take over the world. Once Bakura collects the Millennium Items and frees the creature, the Pharaoh can only stop it if he knows his real name."

"So we have to find it and tell the Pharaoh!" Jounouchi said.

"Unfortunately, we're running out of time." Yugi added in. "Because if the Pharaoh doesn't know his name…"

"He won't be able to win." Kristen finished the sentence.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's find that name!" Honda said.

"But how are we going to do that?" Jounouchi asked. "The Pharaoh doesn't remember and it's not like we can look it up in an ancient Egyptian Phone Book!"

"I have an idea where we can start! There are bound to be some records at the palace that will lead us in the right direction." Yugi said.

And with that Honda took off for the palace with Jounouchi and the others running after him.

* * *

"Duos! Attack Diabound!" Seth ordered. Duos attacked, but it had no effect.

Diabound returned an attack and it hit all of the remaining monsters the priests had, leaving the priests on the ground, coughing.

Kay ran to Seth. "Hey, are you all right?" She asked, putting her hands on his shoulders.

Seth looked up weakly. "I'm fine." He replied and stood back up, with Kay at his side.

"The spirit shield is deflecting even our most powerful blasts." He said.

"It's time we called upon the power of the Millennium Scale!" Karim said. "We must merge our creatures together to take down Bakura."

He held up the Scale, telling it to fuse their two spirits into one. Curse of Dragon and Duos combined to form Duos Dragon. Mahaado leapt atop the dragon.

"Now, we've tripled our strength." Seth said.

"Your mutant is still no match for Diabound!" Bakura said.

"We'll see." Seth returned.

Duos Dragon attacked and Diabound counterattacked with Helical Shock Wave. The two attacks met, neither one overcoming the other.

"Our attacks are equal." Seth said.

"But I have the spirits of Kul Elna on my side." Bakura reminded and Diabound released more attacks and began to beat back Duos Dragon's attack.

"Duos Dragon! Use Aura Sword!" Seth ordered, but he couldn't hold back the attack for long. Seth was holding up his Millennium Rod. "A little help, Karim?" Karim called for Flame Blast attack, and the attack began to melt the spirit shield. But Seth's arm, holding the Millennium Rod was starting to sizzle.

"We're almost there! Once we penetrate the shield, we'll be able to defeat Diabound!" Karim said.

"You won't get through." Bakura said. "I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve."

He summoned his flying eyeball monster, which attacked Karim, knocking the Millennium Scale out of his hand. Karim fell to his knees and one of the spirits retrieved the Scale for Bakura. Without the Scale, the monsters couldn't maintain their fusion, and the two split.

Diabound attacked, destroying all of the monsters and blasting the priests into the air.

Isis ran to Karim, who had fallen. "Help…the Pharaoh." He said. Isis looked around and saw Mana lying on the ground, Seth sitting against a pillar with Kay rushing to his aid, and Yami lifting himself onto his hands with Cat next to him.

"It's time to try my new toy." Bakura said and used the Millennium Scale. He fused Diabound with the flying eyeball.

Diabound looked the same, only now he had an eye in the middle of its chest.

"Finally…the spirits of Kul Elna will have their revenge!" Bakura said.

Yami struggled to his feet.

"Bakura…spare my friends…and take me!" He cried.

Everyone gasped.

"Yami, in that last attack, did you hit your head or something?!" Kay cried.

"No! Don't do this!" Cat cried.

"We can't lose you!" Seth said.

The others protested as well.

But Yami ignored their protests and walked forward. "This is something I must do." He said and stood before Diabound.

Bakura laughed. "Prepare to be trapped for all eternity in the spirit world!" He cried as the spirit shield formed into a huge skill, about to attack.

"When my father ordered the creation of the Millennium Items, evil spirits needed to be captured to complete the spells. Those dark spirits blame my father for trapping them there and they want me to pay the price. I'll allow my soul to join them and the grudge will be laid to rest." Yami said.

Bakura raised the Millennium Scale. "Spirits! Absorb the Pharaoh's spirit!" He cried and the spirits rushed to Yami, flowing into his stomach.

"It's over. Farewell." Bakura said with an evil smirk.

Everyone stared in horror and shock as the spirits entered him. Cat looked horrified as tears started to fall from her eyes. Yami clutched his arms to his chest and stood there, shivering as the spirits swirled inside him. Deep within him…there was his father…and a younger version of Yami standing with him.

"I never meant for this to happen." His father said as tears streamed from his eyes as the spirits approached and a shockwave formed.

A golden aura formed around Yami as he struggled against the spirits within him. A figure formed above Yami.

"Spirits of Kul Elna! It is me that you want!"

It was the spirit of Aknamkanon, standing over Yami, arms outspread to accept the spirits.

The spirits then flowed out of Yami and into Aknamkanon.

Diabound shrunk as the spirits disappeared into Aknamkanon. The former Pharaoh turned to everyone else.

"Father…what will happen now?" Yami asked.

"King Aknamkanon will lead the wandering spirits to the realm of Shadows, where they belong." Mahaado explained. "But as a result, he'll be trapped there as well."

"That's not fair!" Yami protested.

"Spirits! Return to me!" Bakura shouted. "Have you forgotten your hate?"

But Aknamkanon started to dissolve away, taking the spirits with him. "Farewell…father." Yami said sadly as Aknamkanon disappeared.

"My son…restore peace to our land." Aknamkanon said before he was gone.

"Mahaado! Attack Diabound now, while it's weak!" Yami cried.

Mahaado attacked Diabound with his Dark Magic attack and destroyed Diabound.

"Your reign ends now." Yami said to Bakura.

* * *

Yugi and the others ran toward the palace gates, stopping.

"Wait. Remember what happened last time?" Anzu reminded.

"Maybe this time we can get in." Yugi said and looked up at the gates. "I know why we were sent here…we have to find out the Pharaoh's real name, so he can beat Bakura at his own game. Pharaoh…please let us in."

Yugi reached out his hand and it passed through the stone.

He stared at his hand surprised. "Hey! It worked!" He said with a smile, looking at his friends.

"Are you sure?" Jounouchi and Kristen asked.

Bobasa celebrated. "This place is known for its delectable food!" He cried happily.

"C'mon! Let's get in there and start hunting for clues!" Yugi said and ran through the gate while the others followed.

Honda chuckled to himself evilly before walking through the palace gates.

Inside, they ran through the courtyard and stopped on the wide pathway.

"Let's meet back here in an hour." Yugi said.

Everyone nodded and then split up.

* * *

Bakura stood, gaping in shock.

His Skeleton Fiend disappeared; leaving the Millennium Stone unprotected. "This…this isn't over!" Bakura cried. "Your empire will crumble, and the Millennium Items will be mine! Zorc the Dark One will return!" And with that…he collapsed face first to the ground.

"It's all over." Yami said as Bakura crawled weakly up the steps to the Millennium Stone. "The land of Egypt shall once again know peace."

Bakura struggled to place the Millennium Puzzle and Scale into their slots on the stone.

"Never…" He muttered and placed the Ring in its place.

"Bakura! Return the Millennium Items to me!" Yami cried.

"The Items will stay right where they are."

Everyone turned in surprise to see Aknadin standing above them on the steps, holding the Millennium Key.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yami asked.

"I am responsible for the creation of the Millennium Items, and I'll decide their fate." Aknadin said.

"Aknadin has the Key!" Isis pointed out.

"That Item belongs to Shada! What have you done with him?" Seth asked.

"What's important is that his Millennium Item will be put to good use." Aknadin said and began to walk towards the Millennium Stone.

Bakura turned to them, laughing madly as a purple aura glowed around him and then flew up out of the cavern. Then, Bakura staggered on the stone.

"Wha…where am I?" He asked. His voice seemed a little different. He looked at everyone else. "Who are you?" He then looked down at his hands, which were pulsing and glowing with streams of gold and purple. His whole body was as well.

"What's happening to me?" He asked as his hands began to turn into sand.

"I was just using that fool as a pawn!" A bodiless voice said, that sounded like Bakura.

"H-Help!" The man at the stone cried. He then turned into sand and disappeared, his cloak falling empty to the ground.

The voice of Bakura laughed. "It's time you learned the true nature of this Shadow Game!"

"Explain yourself!" Yami demanded.

Just then, Shada showed up, clinging weakly to the wall.

"You must stop Aknadin!" He warned everyone.

* * *

Joey walked through the marketplace/kitchen.

"Hey, excuse me, lady?" He asked, trying to stop a young woman to ask her a question, but she walked right through him and he freaked out again.

"That's NOT cool!" He cried. "These people treat me like I don't exist!"

---

Anzu found the palace library. "I think I may have hit the jackpot." Anzu said and reached for one of the stacks of writing…but her hand passed right through it.

Sighing, she sunk to her knees in frustration. "We'll never find that name." She groaned.

---

Bobasa, on the other hand, found some baskets of fruit and vegetables. He was happily eating everything he could stuff in his mouth.

---

Honda walked through the palace hallways as Bakura's voice ordered him to find that name!

---

Yugi and Kristen ran through the palace and stopped by a wall covered with hieroglyphics. "The Pharaoh's name might be carved somewhere on this wall. Of course, it would help if I could actually read ancient hieroglyphics." He muttered to himself, frustrated.

"This is going to be hard." Kristen said. "Wherever we find the Pharaoh's name, it's going to be in hieroglyphics."

"You're right." Yugi said and sighed. "Hieroglyphics are all over the place. How will find the Pharaoh's name?" He frowned, crying out in frustration. "Augh! At this point, we're going to fail the Pharaoh!"

"Yugi..." Kristen mummered, looking at Yugi sadly.

Yugi fell to his knees.  
"Is this how it's going to be?! We're going to fail the Pharaoh and the future will be destroyed all because we couldn't read the hieroglyphics?!" He cried.

Kristen kneeled next to Yugi.

"Don't worry. I know we'll find the Pharaoh's name. We can't give up. When we find his name, I just know that there will be something there that will prove that it's his name, to us." She said, trying to cheer him up. "You never know what'll happen. We can't get discouraged either."

Yugi glanced at Kristen and she smiled at him.

"Besides, if the Pharaoh was in our position, he would never give up either. Right?" She said.

Yugi sat up and sighed, still looking a little upset. "You're right." He mummered. Kristen looked sadly at him. He was still upset about it. Kristen leaned over and hugged Yugi.  
"Please cheer up, Yugi...I hate seeing you like this." She said. "You're always so cheerful and uplifting. And it breaks my heart to see you suffer."

Yugi blinked, surprised. He blushed a little but closed his eyes and leaned into the hug. The two stayed like that longer than they expected.

When they finally pulled back, Yugi smiled at Kristen. "Thank you...very much for being here for me, Kristen." He said, putting a hand on hers. "I really needed it. At times like these, it's really easy for me to get discouraged."

Kristen blushed and smiled a little, nodding. "I understand. You're welcome, Yugi." She said softly before suddenly looking sheepish. "Um...a-and I'm sorry too."

Yugi blinked, tilting his head, confused. "For what?" He asked.

"Well...I'm the one who pointed out that it was going to be very hard to find the Pharaoh's name because we couldn't read hieroglyphics, in the first place." Kristen said, looking a little sad.

Yugi smiled a little, gripping her hand gently.

"No, don't apologize. You were only pointing out the truth. And it would have come to me sooner or later." He said. "You did nothing wrong, Kristen."

"I still feel bad though." Kristen mummered.

"Don't. There's nothing to feel bad for. It's alright." Yugi said.

Kristen blushed again and looked at Yugi, smiling a small smile.

* * *

**YAY! I was able to fit in some Nekoshipping in there! Whee~! I was hoping I could do that. I felt like I didn't develop Yugi and Kristen's realtionship all that much.  
Now I gotta work on Ryuuzashipping (Kaiba and Kay) as well. I want more Ryuuzashipping! D: But Kaiba needs to get in the freakin' scene! C'MON KAIBA!  
lol**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D  
**


	50. Magus and Seth

"Be careful! Aknadin is a traitor!" Shada cried as he struggled with Aknadin. "Return the Millennium Key!" But Aknadin threw him down. Shada was too weak from his injuries from earlier.

"Aknadin! Have you gone mad?!" Shimon cried.

"I don't know who's controlling your mind, but this ends now!" Yami yelled.

"A new king shall soon rise." Aknadin said simply.

"Hold your tongue! How dare you utter such venomous words in the presence of the great Pharaoh!" Seth snapped.

"Silent!" Aknadin demanded and casted a spell on Seth.  
Everyone looked at Seth. A rainbow of light outlined him. Kay nudged him a little. No response. She shook him. Still no response.

"He can't move!" She exclaimed.

"He's frozen in time." Aknadin said and cast the same spell on everyone else. "That will hold you long enough for me to complete what Bakura couldn't." He laughed. "I've done it! As soon as I place the remaining Millennium Items in the stone, the Dark One shall rise and the Pharaoh's empire will crumble!"

Aknadin walked over and took the Millennium Rod from Seth's frozen hand and the Millennium Necklace from Isis's neck. "I'll return the Millennium Items from whence they came." He said and looked over at Yami. "You are not qualified to be Pharaoh."

He turned to the Millennium Stone. "And now! The final piece! My Millennium Eye!" He cried. Everyone, unable to move or speak, watched in horror as Aknadin ripped the Millennium Eye from his own face.

"Now, return the Items to their resting place." The voice of Bakura ordered Aknadin.

"_Bakura was defeated...so how can I be hearing his voice?_" Yami thought to himself.

"You've proven to be a worthy pawn. The ultimate Shadow Game is nearly complete!" Bakura's voice said.

Aknadin kneeled on the Stone, placing the Items in their slots.

"_I saw Bakura disappear into the Shadows with my own eyes! This Shadow Game should be over! Unless..._" Yami continued to think to himself.

Aknadin placed the final Item into the Stone and the entire cavern became engulfed in light.

"_Is this all just a game?_"

* * *

Light shined from the village, which was now seen to be a part of a playing field, enclosed in a table, suspended in space with the Millennium Puzzle hanging overhead.

Yami slowly woke up and he was seated at one end of the tablet, while Bakura sat on the other end.

But this time, they weren't in their Ancient Egyptian forms. They were in their present day forms!

"You're sleeping through the most important game of your life." Bakura said.

"Where are we?" Yami asked.

We're in the Shadow Realm, of course, sitting before the playing field." Bakura replied. "I promised you a Shadow Game, didn't I?"

"I'm in no mood for games!" Yami said, frowning.

"It's too late. You're already right in the middle of one. The field is ancient Egypt, and the pawns are the people of your past." Bakura said.

"Everything we do affects the events of the past? You've sunk even lower than I thought. Manipulating people's lives just to play out some twisted game!" Yami growled.

"It's not some game, it's THE game. As soon as I resurrect Zorc from the Stone, the final stage of this game will begin." Bakura said. "My soul has been sealed into the Millennium Stone. I'll be revived as Zorc."

"If I don't defeat Zorc, does that mean I lose the game?" Yami asked.

"You'll lost much more than that. You'll lose your friends. They entered a world where they didn't belong, so when they playing field disappears, they'll disappear. You will never see them again." Bakura said.

Yami pounded his fists angrily against the tablet. "YOU-" Bakura cut him off.

"If you want to see your friends again, you'll have to win the game. But at the moment, all of your pawns are frozen in time, thanks to my hourglass token. As the game master, I have three of them. And one freezes time for every character in the game except for my characters." Bakura said. "But it's not the first time I've manipulated time."

Bakura pointed another hourglass token.

"I used this one earlier in the game to reverse time." He said.

Yami remembered.

"So that was YOUR doing!" He cried.

"Thanks to these hourglasses, I can rewrite history three times over the course of the game. Which means your life in under my control!" Bakura laughed.

* * *

Anzu stood frozen in the library while Yugi and Kristen were frozen in the hallway.

"_Bakura must be behind this...I hope the Pharaoh, Cat and Kay are all right._" Yugi thought to himself.

Jounouchi stood frozen with a young woman passing through him. The woman was frozen as well, so she was stuck halfway through him.

"_Well...I can think of worse situations to be stuck in._" He thought to himself.

Honda was moving around freely because he was Bakura's pawn now. He watched Bobasa, who continued to gulp down handsful of food. He wasn't frozen.

"I don't understand why Bobasa is unaffected." He muttered to himself.

Bobasa looked down sadly at his stomach. "My belly is so big...I can't see my slippers." He said.

* * *

Aknadin stood upon the Millennium Stone.

"Zorc! I offer to you these seven treasures!" He called out.

Everyone could only watch, frozen.

"_I can sense the pulse of pure evil beating below us._" Isis thought. "_The Dark One has awakened!_"

The shadowy form of the Dark one rose over the stone. "Denounce your allegiance to Egypt and pledge loyalty to me." The shadow said. "If you do this, everything you desire will be yours."

"My only desire is for a new Pharaoh to be named! My own beloved son…Seth!" Aknadin said.

Seth's eyes grew. "_It can't be true! Master Aknadin is my father?_" He cried in his mind.

"Your transformation from sacred priest to Lord of Darkness is now complete." The shadow said and sent a blast of energy toward Aknadin.

Aknadin screamed as he started to be transformed. Once the transformation was complete, he turned to everyone, now a masked creature with shocks of red hair, robed in dark purple.

* * *

"My Aknadin game piece has just doubled in overall strength. He is now the Great Shadow Magus. The Priest of Darkness." Bakura said, sitting at the playing field.

"What have you done to Aknadin?" Yami asked.

"I haven't done a thing. All these events are reoccurring exactly as they did three thousand years ago, with some small modifications. Thanks to this Shadow Game, I'm able to influence certain events. In the old days, you may have managed to lock away his own spirit in order to seal Zorc away. But you won't be so lucky this time. There are still some holes in your memory. You don't even know your own name! A single word with the power to resurrect Zorc, AND lock him away." Bakura said and brought out another hourglass token onto the table. "But I've discovered a way to bring back Zorc without your name…by using my third and final hourglass."

"What are you saying?!" Yami demanded.

"When the final grain of sand falls, the ruler of the darkest Shadows shall arise!" Bakura said.

* * *

Honda entered a hall with huge portraits of all the Pharaohs, each with a tablet of hieroglyphics at its feet.

"The Pharaoh's name should be located in this room. You must find it before the others do and destroy it!" Bakura's voice said to him.

Honda walked along the hall. "Every Pharaoh in history must be here…so the name I'm looking for must be written on the last tablet." He said to himself.

He stopped at the end of the hall, only to find that the last tablet was blank!

"This doesn't make any sense!" He protested.

* * *

"Banish the Pharaoh to the darkness so that your son may take the throne!" The shadow Zorc said to Magus. (Aknadin)

Magus laughed. "This is what I always wanted for you, Seth. Ever since you were a young boy!" He said.

"_How could he leave me, and then lie to me all these years?_" Seth wondered.

"There's something else you should know." Magus said to Seth. "The former King Aknamkanon was my brother! Therefore, if anything should happen to the current Pharaoh, you're next in line to inherit the throne!"

"_Why, after all these years of loyalty, would he turn on his own family?_" Shimon wondered. "_Bakura must have preyed upon the hidden jealousy Aknadin always felt towards his brother, and the incredible guilt he must have harbored after giving up his family._"

"We will no longer live in the shadow of my brother!" Magus said to Seth. "We shall rise up and claim our rightful place on the throne of Egypt!" He rose a great power. "The era of King Seth has begun!"

Magus then sent the attack towards Yami, who was still frozen. But suddenly…Hasan emerged from his sanctuary and flew to the rescue, coming to strand in front of Yami, deflecting the attack.

* * *

"What?! This isn't part of the game!" Bakura cried, sitting at the playing field.

Yami laughed.

"Have you forgot that there were two people playing this game?" He asked and held up a small figure of Hasan. "I have a token too."

"Where did you get that?!" Bakura demanded.

* * *

"Who stands in the way of my destiny?!" Magus demanded.

"I am Hasan, protect of the Pharaohs. For centuries, I have defended the honor of Egypt's kings." Hasan answered and then looked at Yami. "Fear not, for I will shield you from the darkness, just as I did for your father, and his father before."

Yami remembered him from the cave, giving him the warning about Zorc…but he thought he was just hallucination!

"If you are truly the protector of the Pharaohs, you should be protecting Seth, the true king of Egypt." Magus said.

"Darkness begone!" Hasan commanded and Magus's attack became broken.

* * *

NO!" Bakura screamed as shards of the attack fell upon the playing field, one of them striking his time-freezing hourglass, causing it to break.

"My friends are now free." Yami said.

* * *

"I rendered you powerless!" Magus cried, as everyone became unfrozen again.

"Not anymore." Hasan said. "The Shadow Spell has been broken."

* * *

"It's only a matter of time before the Shadows claim your spirit and everything! And everything you care about crumbles! Your poor friends are running out of steam." Bakura said.

"How?" Yami asked.

"Attached to everyone's Duel Disks is a sensor that measures life energy. My Great Shadow Magus is at full power, but the same cannot be said for your friends." Bakura said.

The glowing meters on their Diadiankhs are all less than half-full.

"Once someone's life force sensor goes dark, they'll die. That goes for you too. When you lose in the past, you lose here as well." Bakura said. "Do you understand the brilliance of the game I've created?"

"This must end!" Yami cried.

"Of course. Every game has an end. It's just a question of who the victor will be and who will die." Bakura said. "Here, we sit high above the rest of the world, deciding the future of mankind. The fate of the world rests in our hands!"

"You may fight for greed, but I fight for the safety of my friends and the world!" Yami said. "I defeated you once, and I'll do it again."

"That's all in the past. In this Shadow Game, I have all sorts of advantages I didn't have the first time. And you will never remember how you won." Bakura said.

"I still have time!" Yami said.

"The countdown to destruction has already begun." Bakura said with his hand on the hourglass.

The sands fell through the hourglass.

* * *

"Seth! Obey your destiny and stand by my side, so that we may rule Egypt as father and son!" Magus said.

"I'm not your "son"! My father would never betray the Pharaoh like this!" Seth said and stood by Yami's side. "Magus lies and I won't join him."

Magus pointed at Yami. "That impostor is no Pharaoh! It is you who should be king!" He said.

"I vowed to protect the king, not replace him!" Seth snapped.

"But you deserve more." Magus said.

Hasan turned to Seth. "It's true that you're the son of Aknadin. However, Aknadin has lost his identity to the Shadows, and the creature that stands before us is no longer your father."

"Hasan is right." Yami agreed.

"That's nonsense!" Magus said. "Seth is my flesh and blood! And that makes him royalty! Seth! Don't let these fools deny you of the power you deserve!"

Kay jumped in. "Seth! Don't listen to him! I don't believe that's your father anymore…you two look nothing alike. If you WERE related to this monster, I would have to question what you would look like." She said with giving Magus a sarcastic grin.

Magus steamed a little.

* * *

Kaiba walked down the stairs to the cavern where the stone tablets were kept, passing Bakura who was lying the steps.

"What happened here?" He asked, Bakura. There was no response. "I guess our rematch will have to wait."

Kaiba continued on, leaving Bakura.

When he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he was surprised to see Yugi, Jounouchi, Cat, Kay, Honda, Kristen and Anzu lying, unconscious on the ground.

"I'm guessing they didn't fly all the way to Egypt just to take a nap." He mummered, kneeling by Yugi and then looked up, spotting the stone tablet with the Pharaoh and sorcerer carved on it.

"I've seen this before." He said, standing up again. "In the museum back home."

All of the sudden, the Millennium Eye in his hand started to glow before emitting a beam of light that illuminated the stone.

Images of Yami and everyone else and Magus appeared on the stone.

Kaiba spotted Seth and gasped.

"That's…that's me!" He exclaimed.

* * *

"Seth, your father chose a path of hatred and greed, but I beg you not to make the same mistake." Yami said to Seth. "Fight by my side, and together, we can restore peace to Egypt."

"I've heard the same words uttered by my brother when he was Pharaoh! My brother didn't understand the first thing about leading this kingdom! In fact, his idealistic approach nearly destroyed Egypt!" Magus said.

---

_Everyone bowed to Pharaoh Aknamkanon as his brother; Aknadin stood behind him on the balcony of the palace. _

"While the people worshiped their Pharaoh, it was I who was truly responsible for their safety." Magus said.

"_Our enemies draw near." Aknadin said._

_Aknamkanon sat on the throne. "Egypt will only fight as a last resort." He said._

"_I've already moved the soldiers into position to attack! It's the only way to prevent invasion!" Aknadin protested. "If we don't act now, we'll be destroyed!"_

"_You've overstepped your bounds." Aknamkanon said._

_Aknadin acquiesces, bowing to the Pharaoh._

"_I want what's best for Egypt, but I won't accept violence as the only answer. We must try to find a peaceful solution." Aknamkanon said._

"_Y-Yes…" Aknadin said hesitantly._

"_I believe we'll live in harmony one day, and I need you the share that belief with me." Aknamkanon said. _

"I was right. Our enemies didn't share my brother's belied in peace." Magus continued. "Thanks to me, when our enemies attacked, we were ready. Of course, his majesty received all the credit, while I was ignored. It was then I realized that my brother would be the light, while I would be the shadow. If Egypt was going to survive, drastic measures would be necessary."

_Aknadin and his men, cloaked and carrying torches, met before an underground cavern at night. _

---

"Hidden deep beneath the sands laid an ancient manuscript with a dark secret." Magus said. "This, Millennium Spellbook contained the secret to a power known only by the Egyptian gods. If it hadn't been for me, the Millennium Items wouldn't exist."

"And neither would this mess!" Shimon added. "The Millennium Items may have helped us stop one enemy, but their creation gave rise to an even greater enemy!"

"Correct. We sparked the rebirth of Zorc the Dark One." Hasan agreed.

"Exactly! And now Zorc can finish what Aknadin began! By crushing the Pharaoh and his followers, and allowing a new king to take the throne!" Magus said. "You'll never understand what I've been through. I devoted my life to my brother and received nothing in return!"

"You're wrong! But you're too blind to see it!" Shimon said.

Yami agreed.

"I gave up my wife and my only son, just so I could save my brother's kingdom!" Magus cried. "Even though I abandoned my son, Seth found his way back to me! It was Seth's destiny to reenter the palace and rise to greatness!"

"When I joined the Priests, I pledged my devotion to the Pharaoh. And the one person who was always there to guide me was Aknadin." Seth said. "There was four other priests in the Pharaoh's court, but Aknadin spent most of his time training me. And now I know why. Secretly Aknadin knew I was his son."

"You were destined for greatness from the day you were born. That's why your path keeps crossing with that of the White Dragon." Magus said. "You were chosen to wield its power."

Suddenly, Seth's eyes started to glow, becoming under Magus's control.

"I should rule…and the White Dragon will help me." He said.

"Stop lying to your son and set him free!" Yami snapped at Magus and turned to Seth. "You mustn't give in to this temptation!"

Magus then sent a blast of power in between Yami and Seth, separating them.

Seth turned to Magus. "Tell me the truth! Why are you really doing this?!" He demanded.

"I want you to experience what I never had. Power and respect. And when Zorc arrives, that's exactly what you will receive. Zorc will usher in the Age of Shadows, and someone will need to reign over this new world." Magus replied.

Seth's eyes began to glow again. "I…I will reign." He said.

"SETH!" Yami called but Seth stepped forward.

"I must…join my father." He said.

Seth continued to walk to his father.

"SETH DON'T DO IT!" Kay cried as she ran up to Seth and slapped him, breaking the spell.

Seth blinked in surprise.

"Seth…the White Dragon is urging you to join me." Magus said.

"Seth don't go! Your father is under the control of an evil force, and if you join him, you'll lose yourself to the shadows as well!" Kay cried.

Everyone else also urged Seth to stay and help them.

"The others are lying to you. The Pharaoh is threatened by your power and is trying to keep you down." Magus said.

"The Pharaoh is protecting Seth, just as your brother protected you!" Hasan said.

"My brother took all the glory and left me to wallow in the shadows! And now my brother's son shall pay!" Magus said and shot an attack at Yami, who threw up his arms to protect himself.

"You're weak, Pharaoh! Just like your father!" Magus said.

Hasan jumped in front of Yami to block the attack. "As long as I'm here, no harm will befall the Pharaoh!" He said.

Seth looked on in surprise.

* * *

Kisara ran through the hallways of the palace, calling for Seth.

She woke up when Seth was starting to give into Magus. She sensed it and knew she had to try and stop him.

She stopped for a moment. "I hope I'm not too late." She said.

Honda watched from around a corner, smiling evilly to himself.

"Keep on running, girl. Soon you'll join forces with Seth on the other side." He said, Bakura talking through him.

* * *

**Yay! Another chapter done! :D**

**The final battle will be coming up soon. Yup, Yup!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D  
**


	51. The Pharaoh's Tomb

Bobasa sat dejectedly in the empty storage room.

"I wish I had just one more luscious apple…or even the teeniest little grape!" He whined.

Honda came up from behind him.

"_Who is Bobasa character? I must find out what role he plays in this Shadow Game._" He said thought to himself.

"Hey Bobasa? Were you able to find the Pharaoh's name?" Honda asked.

Bobasa remained silent.

Annoyed, Honda rapped Bobasa on the head with his knuckles. "Knock, knock!" He said.

"Who's there?" Bobasa said before he continued to weep with hunger.

"Tell me!" Honda snapped exasperated and hit Bobasa again. "And stop crying!"

But Bobasa only cried harder.

"This isn't the best time for jokes!" Jounouchi said as he walked up with Yugi, Kristen and Anzu.

"I was only trying to cheer him up." Honda said.

"You're not doing a very good job! Why is Bobasa crying?" Jounouchi asked.

"I dunno." Honda replied innocently.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked Bobasa.

"There's not a scrap of food left!" Bobasa cried.

Joey, Yugi, Kristen and Anzu sunk to the floor, suddenly reminded of their own hunger.

"Why does it feels like we haven't eaten in days?" Jounouchi asked.

"Because we haven't." Anzu answered.

"This must be where they store all the food for the palace, but there's nothing left." Yugi said. "Bobasa cleaned the place out!"

"Bobasa didn't even leave us a crumb!" Jounouchi complained, but Bobasa only continued to cry.

"Bobasa's done nothing but hold us back. It's time we lost him." Honda said.

"Honda might have a point." Jounouchi said.

"Wait. Let's stop and think about this for a moment. We've already searched the while palace for the Pharaoh's name…" Yugi said.

"Yeah. Let's get out of here." Honda said.

"Pull yourself together!" Anzu told Bobasa.

"But I can't move another muscle until I eat another morsel!" Bobasa complained.

"You've already eaten all there is to eat!" Jounouchi snapped.

"C'mon! Let's just leave him behind!" Honda said again.

"But we need to help him." Yugi said.

"What has Bobasa ever done for us?" Honda asked.

"He helped us find the Pharaoh." Yugi pointed out.

"Yeah…we should go find him some food." Kristen agreed.

Yugi, Kristen, Jounouchi and Anzu began searching for food while Honda waited impatiently.

"_Why would these fools drop everything to help that useless oaf?_" Bakura wondered through Honda.

Later, Yugi came out onto a balcony and called for the others.

Everyone then got together to push and pull Bobasa out into the courtyard, where a bunch of grapes were growing on a tree.

Happily, Bobasa leapt for them, then turned. "Thank you everyone!" He said.

Everyone sat on the ground, exhausted from moving Bobasa.

"We've finally found someone who loves food more than I do." Jounouchi said.

Yugi laughed. "That's hard to believe." He said.

Bobasa finished eating the grapes.

"Feel better now?" Yugi asked.

Bobasa suddenly inflated into a big round balloon!

"Now that I'm full, I can grant your wish! Get onto my back and we'll go find the Pharaoh's name!" He said.

Jounouchi, Kristen and Anzu looked a bit reluctant.

"We have to trust Bobasa. It's our only hope." Yugi said and everyone climbed onto Bobasa's back.

Bobasa then floated away out of the palace with them.

"Where are you taking us?" Yugi asked.

"This way." Was all Bobasa said.

"A little more specific answer would be nice." Jounouchi said.

Honda smiled to himself.

"_I'm beginning to understand Bobasa's role in the game. He was placed there as a shortcut-feed him and skip to the prize._" Bakura thought to himself through Honda.

They flew through the desert for a while.

"Passengers, we're approaching the Valley of the Kings! Thanks for flying Air Bobasa!" Bobasa said and started to randomly sing about his name. "Bo is for Bordeaux wine. "Ba" is for bar and grill…"

"Bobasa seems very happy." Yugi said.

"What about "Sa"? What's "Sa" for?" Jounouchi wondered.

Bobasa continued to sing for a moment.

"It's over there." He said.

"I remember that the Valley of the Kings is where the Pharaoh's tomb is. In the old days, a Pharaoh's tomb was built while he was still alive, so the Pharaoh's name must have already been carved on his future tomb!" Yugi said to himself.

Bobasa hovered to the ground and Honda jumped off, running to the opening of the tomb. He was planning to destroy the name before the others could see it.

"Thank you Bobasa." Yugi said as Bobasa deflated and settled back onto the ground.

"Thank YOU and everyone for feeding me those grapes. Since then, I haven't been hungry at all." He said.

"You know…now that you mention it, I'm not hungry either." Anzu said.

"You're right." Yugi said.

"Yeah." Kristen agreed.

"I think I could still use a bite." Jounouchi said.

"It's been one mystery after another since we got here." Yugi said.

"Bobasa is the biggest mystery." Jounouchi said.

"I finally know why I was put here! For you guys! Life is like a game, and sometimes helping others is the key to winning it all!" Bobasa said.

"What does that mean?" Jounouchi asked.

Bobasa only started singing his song again. "Sa…is for Sayonara!" He sang and then disappeared in a sparkle of gold.

"Wait! Come back!" They cried…but he was gone.

* * *

"Your friends are doing much better than I expected!" Bakura laughed. "In fact, they're close to uncovering your ancient name."

"How do you know that? You've been spying on them, haven't you?" Yami asked.

"Of course not. But it doesn't matter. The countdown is on, and the resurrection of Zorc is near." Bakura said. "It's time to add another little twist to the game. The sides are uneven, but I'm about to change that. I'll use a tactic I learned earlier from you. Remember when the Pharaoh was drained of energy, but Yugi gave him a boost? Two can play at that game. I'm going to bring back a former pawn of mine. But first, I'll need to barrow some strength from outside. Kaiba! Come and join us!"

"What?! You can't pull him into this too!" Yami protested.

* * *

Kaiba found himself drawn into the stone tablet. He flew through a vortex and into ancient Egypt.

Kaiba approached the ancient city, astonished.

"This place seems familiar. But I'm not sure why." He said.

Bakura looked down on the playing field.

"He'll find out…when I barrow his soul!" He said.

And with that, a piece of Kaiba's soul flew out of him.

* * *

"I must join my father now." Seth said, under the spell again.

Magus was still trying to attack the Pharaoh. But suddenly, Kaiba's energy/soul blasted into the middle of the cavern, stopping the attack from Magus.

A whirlwind of sand formed and turned into Thief Bakura. He laughed.

"It's good to be back in the game, again! And it looks like I'm just in time to observe the finale, featuring Zorc the Dark One's long-awaited return, and the Pharaoh's farewell performance!" He cried. "We have some catching up to do."

"But we destroyed you!" Shada cried.

"Bakura regenerated himself." Shimon said.

"But how?" Yami asked.

Bakura turned to look at Magus.

"Someone couldn't handle the competition, so I had to step in and correct that." He said.

"What?! I could handle them by myself!" Magus protested.

Bakura ignored his words and walked over to join Magus and on the Millennium Stone.

"You were close to being defeated. Let me focus on the Pharaoh. You have other things to do…like convincing your son to pledge his allegiance to Zorc the Dark One!" He said.

"Seth! Don't listen to Bakura!" Shimon cried.

"When the Age of Shadows is ushered in, a new king will be needed to rule the darkness…someone like Seth!" Bakura said. "You've been chosen to wield a power that rivals that of the Egyptian gods."

"What are you talking about?" Yami asked.

"Your feeling threatened by the idea of being replaced by someone more qualified. Someone who controls the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Bakura taunted Yami.

"Kisara?" Seth and Kay mummered.

"He means that young girl!" Shada cried.

"You knew about this?" Yami asked Shada.

"Recently, me and Seth happened upon a peasant girl who held a power like none I've ever seen." Shada explained.

"The fact that Zorc is about to resurrect at any moment still remains! And there's nothing you can do to stop it! Now we must see if Seth's is smart enough to join the winning side before the game is over." Bakura said.

Magus stepped off the Millennium Stone and approached Seth.

"Listen to reason. If you side with the Pharaoh, you'll be throwing away your future. You were born to be a leader." He said.

"Y-Yes…" Seth said.

Kay stood in front of Seth. "Don't do this!" She cried.

"You have bigger things to worry about." Bakura said to her, activating his Diadiankh, summoning Diabound. "Diabound! Strike down the Pharaoh!"

Diabound attacked and Hasan leapt in front of Yami to protect him.

"This can't be! Diabound's stone tablet has already been destroyed!" Shada cried.

"Now I have all seven Millennium Items, I no longer need a tablet to summon Diabound." Bakura explained. "With the power of the Items coursing through it, it's stronger than ever."

Magus stood before Seth. "See your destiny. You shall be king." He said to Seth, still trying to convince him.

Kay continued to stand in front of Seth, glaring at Magus.

"Don't listen to him!" She said.

"Khephera's right. You're one of the seven priests! Don't you remember that vow you took?" Shada reminded Seth.

If you accept the dark power of the Shadows, you'll be making the same mistake your father made." Yami said.

"Wake up! You're being controlled!" Kay cried.

Seth looked up, startled.

"I've had enough of your meddling!" Magus cried and created a portal. He reached out and grabbed Seth and threw him into the portal.

But before he came into the portal, Kay grabbed onto him and was carried with him through the portal.

Magus jumped into the portal after them.

"Kay! Seth!" Cat cried.

Yami tried to follow them, but Diabound blocked his path before he could reach the portal and it closed.

He turned to Bakura.

"What did you do with them?!" He asked angrily.

"The same thing I'm about to do with the Millennium Stone. Get it out of your reach!" Bakura answered and he snapped his fingers.

The stone then began to sink down into the floor, taking the Millennium Items with it.

Diabound spewed out a stream of darkness, which descended over the cavern as everyone else watched in horror.

We're going to play a game of hide and seek." Bakura said with a grin.

* * *

Kaiba woke up in an alley and stood up.

"I just had the strangest dream." He mummered and stepped out of the alley. He gasped as he looked around, realizing he was in the ancient Egyptian Marketplace.

"Maybe…it wasn't a dream." He said. "I remember being sucked into the stone tablet, and finding myself in ancient Egypt…then passing out."

Kaiba walked through the marketplace. "I got knocked out and woke up in some oddball town that hasn't changed in three thousand years." He said and stopped as two kids ran towards him.

He became shocked when the two kids ran through him.

"What's happening?" He asked as he continued down the street. "It's as if…I don't exist here."

He stopped again when he heard someone shout, "SETH!" He looked over and saw Kisara running towards him.

She stopped and stood in front of him. "Wait…oh, I'm sorry. You're not Seth. Although you look like him." She said. Kaiba noted to himself that she looked really familiar.

"You're…Kisara?" He asked.

"Who are you? And why are you dressed so strangely?" Kisara asked.

"Well…first I want to know where I am…and why are you the only one that can see me?" Kaiba asked.

"An evil force is threatening our land and we must act quickly or everything will be lost." Kisara explained.

"Do you expect me to believe that?" Kaiba asked.

"You can believe what you want, but the darkness is coming and I have to warn Seth." Kisara said. "Farewell."

And with that, she ran on.

* * *

"What did you do with my friends?" Yami asked.

"I bought some time." Bakura said.

A viewscreen appeared on top of the RPG table. It showed Mana standing in the deserted village, calling out to the others. The vision changed to Shada and Shimon, wondering where they were. Then it changed to Isis and Karim.

"That's cheating!" Yami protested.

"I make the rules in this game, and this is the part where we wait for Zorc to resurrect and you watch your friends squirm." Bakura said.

"I won't let you win!" Yami said.

"I already have." Bakura said.

* * *

Yugi and everyone stood before the entrance to the Pharaoh's tomb.

"According to Bobasa, the Pharaoh's name is hidden somewhere in there." Anzu said.

"So let's go!" Jounouchi said, determined.

"Pharaoh…we won't let you down." Yugi said and the four entered the tomb.

* * *

Yami stood with Hasan, and Cat.

Mahaado joined them.

"I've seen no sign of the others." He said.

"They can't be too far." Cat said.

"Separating us must be all part of Bakura's plan to stall for time." Mahaado said.

Yami nodded. "But Bakura must be doing more than waiting." He said. "I suspect Bakura is planning to weaken our defenses, so when Zorc arrives, he'll be unstoppable."

They all paused when they spotted a shadowy cloud rise over the nearby buildings.

"It's Egypt's most feared predator." Hasan said.

Bakura stood on top of one of the buildings and laughed.

He then sent a swarm of locusts to attack Yami.

Mahaado attempted to fight them off, but there was too many!

Hasan threw his cloak around Yami and Cat to protect them as Mahaado continued to fight the swarm.

* * *

"One by one, your game pieces are being crushed." Bakura said to Yami.

Yami frowned.

"I'm running out of time." He mummered to himself. "As Bakura's hourglass counts down to the destruction of Egypt, the Pharaoh's priests are growing weaker. Before long, Bakura will have succeeded in rewriting history."

"If only you knew a little more about your past, you might remember how you beat me the first time. But you erased your memory, giving me the chance to destroy you." Bakura said.

Yami could only watch helplessly as Mana stood against a Skeleton Fiend.

Mana summoned the Dark Magician Girl to fight.

The other Priests were dealing with the same problem. They were all facing monsters.

"She's just wasting her time. The priests are even more pathetic now that they've been separated from each other. The only question is, who will die first?" Bakura said.

* * *

**Another chapter! Yay!  
And Kaiba's finally in the picture! About time! :P  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	52. This Feeling

The Giant Axe Mummy destroyed Isis's Spiria and Isis fell to the ground, where she could only watch helplessly as the Axe Mummy approached her.

Karim was dying and Isis tried to protect him by fighting the Giant Axe Mummy that came and attacked.

But just before the Mummy attacked her, Two-Headed Jackal Warrior attacked it. Shada and Shimon ran over to join Isis and Karim. Karim was resting in a ruined stable.

"Who's guarding the Pharaoh?" Karim asked.

"We'll find him." Shada said.

"Shada…take what's left of my power." Karim said.

"Karim! Don't! You know what'll happen if you do!" Isis protested.

"Before I die…I want the Pharaoh to have my strength." Karim said. Shada nodded. Him and Karim them grasped hands and Karim transferred his strength to Shada.

The power boost also caused Two-Headed Jackal Warrior to grow in strength.

It then destroyed the Giant Axe Mummy.

Just then, Yami, Cat, Mana, Mahaado and Hasan ran up to join them.

"Pharaoh…I know you'll defeat Bakura…and the darkness will be no more." Karim said to Yami as he kneeled down next to Karim.

Yami nodded to him. "Yes…" He said.

"Good luck…to you all. And farewell." Karim said.

Isis took Karim in her arms and cried as Yami got back on his feet. Cat looked down at Karim sadly. "He's…dead isn't he?" She asked. Mana nodded slowly.

"I've seen enough." Yami said and ran from the stable, getting onto his horse. "It's time to end this madness."

Cat quickly followed and jumped on with him.

Yami looked back at her and opened his mouth to protest, but Cat covered his mouth.

"I know what you're going to say. I'm going with you to help. And besides…we gotta find Seth and Kay. They're my friends too." She said with a hint of stern in her voice.

Yami raised an eyebrow as Cat removed her hand. "You're being unusually assertive." He pointed out.

Cat's expression softened a little.

"I'm sorry. But…to be honest, I'm a little scared. I'm trying to cover it up too thickly. But I'm not letting fear stop me now." She said.

"And I don't suppose I can stop you either." Yami said with a small smile. "Hasan! Stay here and protect the others while we go to find Seth and Kay…er…Khephera! I won't let anyone else die."

"Be careful." Hasan said as Yami and Cat rode off.

* * *

Kristen ran her hand over the wall in the Pharaoh's tomb. "Check it out guys! We can't pass through walls here." She said.

"I'm not surprised. From what my Grandpa told me, the Pharaoh's tomb is pretty well protected." Yugi said.

"Was Grandpa here?" Jounouchi asked.

"Did he say what was inside?" Anzu asked.

"There's only one way to find out!" Jounouchi said without waiting for an answer and began to run ahead.

"JOUNOUCHI! WAIT!" Yugi yelled after him.

Jounouchi reached the stone serpents that spat out metal needles at unwary travelers. He stopped short as the needles hit the floor in front of his feet.

"This place is loaded with traps to keep out intruders." Yugi said.

"You could have told me that SOONER!" Jounouchi snapped.

Anzu rolled her eyes. "Well if you ever paid attention in any of your history classes, you probably would have figured that out yourself. This IS a "Pharaoh's" tomb, you know." She said.

"Did Grandpa mention how we were supposed to get through?" Honda asked.

"Yup. I just hope I can remember everything." Yugi said.

They entered the room with the maze, protected by statues of warriors with swords.

"Anyone who enters needs to show respect. All the statues have their left foot forward as a sign of respect for the Pharaoh. So we have to as well. Follow me." Yugi explained.

Carefully, they all slid through the maze with their left foot forward and they entered the next and final room.

"What happens next?" Jounouchi asked.

"Each of the stone tablets on the bridge has a monster inside. If the monsters sense fear, they'll attack." Yugi said.

"Did Grandpa mention a short cut?" Jounouchi asked with an unstable look on his face.

Yugi stepped out onto the bridge.

"With the fate of the world depending on us, I don't have time to be scared." He said.

"We're right behind you!" Jounouchi said and turned to the others. "C'mon. We need to follow Yugi across the stone bridge."

Yugi reached the other side and stood before the stone altar. "This must be where Grandpa found the Millennium Puzzle. But there's nothing here now." He said.

"Maybe the writing on the wall might have some clues." Kristen suggested.

"Egyptian is all Greek to me! Now what?" Jounouchi cried.

"I'm not sure. Maybe there's another room that even Grandpa couldn't find." Yugi said.

"Well, good luck finding it!" Jounouchi said and leaned against a pillar. Once he did that, it activated a secret entrance to a room behind the room.

"We found it!" Kristen cried happily.

Honda smiled to himself. "_These fools will never see what's inside._" He thought to himself.

Everyone watched as the door at the back of the tomb rose.

"What the heck could be in there?" Jounouchi wondered.

"I hope the Pharaoh's name." Yugi said.

Honda ran past them into the secret room.

"Honda wait! That room could be full of traps!" Yugi called after him as everyone followed.

Honda stopped and everyone stopped behind him.

"What? The room is empty?" Kristen asked.

"Grandpa said that tombs are not always what they appear to be." Yugi said.

"Then what are they?!" Jounouchi asked, stepping forward.

"Sometimes you have to look beyond the obvious." Anzu said.

"I found a clue. We're standing on it." Honda said, looking down.

Everyone looked down to see a design painted on the floor; a row of drawings, with an inscription in the center and a large eye on either end.

"You're right." Anzu said.

"But it's written in chicken scratch!" Jounouchi cried.

"He who solves the Millennium Puzzle must return the wish he was granted. Only then is he able to pass." Honda read.

"'Ey! Since when could you read hieroglyphics, Honda?" Jounouchi asked.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Honda rudely replied and then kneeled down in front of Yugi. "If you expect to save the Pharaoh, you'd better give back whatever it is the Puzzle gave you."

"That doesn't make any sense! The wish that was granted to me by the Puzzle can never be given back! It's impossible!" Yugi exclaimed.

* * *

Seth and Kay woke up to find themselves lying on the ground in a strange place. Seth sat up.

"Where are we?" He asked.

"You are with me, where you belong." Magus replied, standing near him. "Rise, my son. The new Pharaoh deserves the power of a new Egyptian God!"

Seth and Kay stood up and discovered that they were standing on a rooftop in the middle of the desert!

"A messenger came bearing a gift. Only after you have accepted her offering can you serve as the new King of Egypt." Magus said.

"What are you talking about?!" Kay demanded.

There was a pause and Seth and Kay looked in the direction that Magus was looking in. They gasped.

Across the sands, Kisara ran towards them.

"Kisara!" Kay and Seth cried.

"She holds the key to the throne. You must take it form her, Seth." Magus said.

Kisara reached the building and Seth and Kay came down the steps to greet her.

"I knew I'd find you!" She panted.

"It isn't safe for you to be here." Seth said.

"You saved my life the night my village was destroyed and now it's my turn to save you." Kisara said.

Unknown to everyone, Kaiba approached, hiding behind a pillar to observe.

Shadow Magus laughed.

"Don't be fooled by her innocence! She wields a mighty creature! Take it!" He said.

"Don't listen to him!" Kay said.

The ground beneath them suddenly began to shake.

"You must act swiftly and seize the White Dragon." Magus said.

"I'm not your son! My father left me when he pledge his loyalty to the Shadows!" Seth snapped at Magus.

The three were about to leave, but Magus raised his hand and created barriers of stone to rise up from the sand before them.

Seth then activated his Diadiankh and summoned Duos to slash the stones with his sword, knocking them away.

Seth, Kay and Kisara started to run again, but Magus leapt from the roof and landed in front of them.

"You're no match for me, Seth." Magus said.

"Is that so?" Seth asked and Duos came up.

Magus summoned a huge purple monster; its body rippling as if it was made of flames and an image of the Millennium Eye formed in the flame beast's face.

"Kisara! Surrender your power to my son!" Magus commanded.

Kisara frowned and closed her eyes, and the White Dragon appeared, intending to fight back.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba cried, still hiding behind the pillar.

* * *

Yami and Cat continued to ride through the desert. Through most of the trip, both were silent, deep in their own thoughts.

"Cat." Yami said, cutting the silence.

"Yes?" Cat asked, snapping out of her own thoughts.

"You said you were a little scared, right?" Yami asked.

"Yeah." Cat said with a nod. "What about it?"

"Tell me everything you're afraid of. Everything." Yami said.

Cat blinked in confusment. "Why?" She asked.

"Just tell me, please." Yami said.

Cat thought for a moment. "Well…I guess I have a lot of things I fear now. I fear for Kay and Seth…I fear for our friends and I fear Zorc and Bakura. I also worry about the rest of the priests and…losing more people. So, I fear for everyone's safety. Yours too." She replied.

Yami didn't take his eyes off the desert in front of him.

"Those are your present fears?" He asked.

"Yes…but I still don't understand why you wanted to know." Cat said.

"I wanted to know…so you didn't have to deal with them alone." Yami replied.

Cat blinked and looked a little surprised.

"And now that I know those fears, I can protect you from facing them alone." Yami continued. "For as long as I've known you, I've figured you're a little frail." He chuckled and looked over at her, giving her a smirk

Cat stared at him before smiling a little.

"Well, you know I'm not as weak as I was when I first met you, you know." She said.

Yami laughed. "Yes, I know." He stopped laughing and gave her an honest smile. "You've gotten stronger. In fact…I always believed deep down you were very strong. But you just didn't know how to use it."

Cat looked a little surprised again. She always believed she was weak and in the way. But hearing those words, coming from Yami, the one who always seemed like he had to save her…it almost felt like she was given a small boost of courage.

She wasn't sure how to describe the boost.

There was a pause between them. Neither knew how long it was.

Cat smiled. "Yami…thank you." She said simply.

Yami gave her warm smile.

It was then, that they suddenly heard the Blue-Eyes White Dragon roar not too far off!

Cat and Yami looked in the direction of the roar.

"Was that...?" Cat asked, not finishing her sentence.

"I think so!" Yami replied. "Hold on Seth! Kay! We're coming!"

They continued on and Yami's focus once again returned to the desert ahead.

Cat looked down and to the side slightly, thinking to herself that what Yami didn't know…that one of her biggest fears…was losing him in any sort of way. She sighed and tighted her grip on him, burying her face in the back of his shoulder.

This discovery she made...why didn't she realize it before? Kay was right.

"_I love you...I love you..._" She said in her head a few times as tears began to sting her eyes.

"Worried?"

Cat quickly raised her head back up, the question surprsing her.

"O-Oh...um...yeah. I am." She said, rubbing her eyes, hoping he wouldn't see.

"Don't worry. They'll be fine." Yami said, still focusing on their destination.

Cat smiled weakly before that smile faded and she leaned her head against him again.

"_I Love You..._"

* * *

The White Dragon attacked the Flame Beast, but it evaded the attack, dissolving and re-forming into the sky. It then attacked Kisara, who was then thrown to the ground.

The Flame Beast reappeared behind Magus as the White Dragon prepared for another attack.

"Not so fast!" Magus cried and created a Spellbinding Circle to trap the White Dragon.

A sealing stone rose from the sands, and the White Dragon was drawn to it.

But Kisara stood up, ready to continue the fight.

"Kisara! You mustn't do this! You no longer have the strength to fight!" Kay cried.

"I know what I'm doing. No matter what it takes, I won't allow the Magus to hurt you or Seth." Kisara replied.

"Haven't you been listening? I plan to transform Seth into the most powerful king that ever lived!" Magus said to Kisara.

"But at what cost?" Seth asked. "So I can become like you? A puppet of Zorc? Kay and Kisara made me realize something. I'd rather be a peasant in a world shining with hope, than a king in a world contaminated by darkness!"

"You're really choosing this riffraff over your own flesh and blood?!" Magus asked angrily and pulled off his mask, revealing Aknadin's shriveled face beneath. "I brought you into this world, and I have to the power to remove you!"

"The part of you that was once my father is long gone! And now I see what's left in his place! A weak old man with a heart full of darkness!" Seth snapped.

The Magus rose his hand and the Flame Beast shot a blast at Seth from its eye.

But before the attack reached Seth, Kisara jumped in front of him…taking the blow herself.

Kisara fell over and Seth caught her. The White Dragon sunk completely into the stone, and appeared as a carving.

"Kisara!" Kay cried and kneeled next to her. "No!"

"Kisara! I'm sorry." Seth said.

Kisara opened her eyes. "It's not your fault." She said weakly. "May I have a word with Khephera?"

Seth nodded and Kay held up Kisara as Seth backed away a little.

"Khephera…you've been my closest and dearest friend for as long as I could remember. And we both have been in love with Seth…but he chose you. And ever since he did, I've always hoped for you two to live happily. No matter what. I know you can help him, the Pharaoh, and Luna defeat this darkness. I know you guys can…you have the power. So please…fight for peace and please…take care of Seth." Kisara said weakly before…she died.

Kay looked down at Kisara in her arms; her face mixed with sadness and shock. She felt tears form in her eyes. Kisara was a close friend…and she hardly even remembered her. Added to that, the fact she died protecting Seth out of love.

The Flame Beast dissolved away and Magus approached Seth, Kay and Kisara, laughing.

"I knew if I took aim at you, that fool would try to protect you. It was for your own good, Seth. Now we can use her power to rule the new world as father and son!" He said.

Seth walked over to Magus.

"Have you come to join me?" Magus asked.

"I'll never join you!" Seth snapped and pulled out his sword, stabbing the Magus.

"Seth…is…this your answer?" Magus asked, dying and embraced Seth. "Your flesh and blood came from me. Let me give my soul and power to you in the end. I love you from the bottom of my heart, Seth. Let my love boil in your blood and ignite a hatred for the Pharaoh. Let your soul unite with mine and become the king of darkness!"

Magus then laughed and his body then dissolved and flowed into Seth's body.

Yami and Cat rode up and went into the courtyard, getting off the horse and walking up to everyone.

"It's Yugi…and that girl!" Kaiba exclaimed, still behind the pillar.

"Seth! Kay! Are you guys all right?" Yami asked.

Cat ran over to Kay, who was still with Kisara. "Kay, are you all right? What's wrong?" She asked.

"Kisara…she died protecting Seth. For some reason, I don't remember, but apparently she and I were close friends. She was your friend too." Kay replied sadly.

Cat looked a little shocked and looked down at Kisara. Her expression changed to sadness and tears returned to her eyes.

"I can't believe it…I didn't…want anyone else…to die." She said quietly.

"I've been waiting for you, Pharaoh! Zorc's arrival is upon us, and he deserves to be greeted by a king worthy of his greatness." Seth said to Yami.

Yami looked startled.

"What are you talking about?" He asked and looked to the side, spotting Kisara. "What happened to her?" There was a pause as Yami then also noticed the White Dragon sealed in the stone. "I know who did this. Where is Aknadin?"

"Right here." Seth replied.

Aknadin stood over an unconscious Seth, in Seth's mind.

"You've infiltrated Seth's mind. My son was having trouble accepting his destiny, so I decided to help him. The time has arrived…and the power of the White Dragon is mine." Aknadin said to Yami. "Seth! Destroy the Pharaoh and take his place!"

Seth grinned wildly. "Let's duel." He said.

"Don't do this! Your mind has been clouded by darkness!" Yami cried.

"For the first time, everything's clear." Seth said and called for the White Dragon. Lightening flashed and the stone glowed, the White Dragon appearing in the sky above Seth.

Yami summoned Mahaado, with no choice but to fight.

"Prepare to feel the power of two generations in one attack!" Seth said.

"He's right…their magic is twice as strong now." Mahaado said.

The White Dragon attacked with White Lightening. Mahaado used Dark Magic Attack.

The two attacks met but Mahaado was overwhelmed by the White Dragon's power.

"Pharaoh…good luck." Mahaado said before he was destroyed. Yami fell to his knees, in pain from losing his monster.

"Your reign ends now, Pharaoh." Seth said. "You have disgraced the throne of Egypt, just like your father. But I'm about to take what was meant to be mine!"

Yami stood up. "Seth! Listen to me and break free of your father's control! Or Egypt is doomed! Don't you remember your vow to protect our land?" He reminded Seth.

"I protecting our land from you!" Seth said and ordered the White Dragon to attack.

"Kisara! Don't!" Kay and Cat cried to the dragon, knowing Kisara was in there.

"Don't…attack." Seth said, regaining consciousness in his own mind.

Yami looked up, surprised to see the White Dragon, not attacking.

"I said, ATTACK!" Aknadin commanded again.

The White Dragon struggled and then suddenly dissolved!

"Thank you Kisara." Yami said while Aknadin became enraged.

The White Dragon reappeared in Seth's mind, facing Aknadin. "How can this be happening?!" Aknadin cried. The White Dragon attacked him…destroying Aknadin.

"SETH!" He cried before he was destroyed. He crumbled away like a stone.

The White Dragon came to rest over the unconscious Seth. Kisara appeared over the White Dragon.

"You're free Seth. Aknadin will never harm you again. My power rests with you now. Please take care of Khephera." She said before the Dragon dissolved again, it's light settling over Seth.

Seth opened his eyes and once again had control over his body.

Seth walked over to where Kay and Cat were around Kisara and he took her in his arms, standing before the stone tablet.

"Her spirit now lives with the White Dragon." He said as some tears fell onto Kisara's face. He kneeled before the stone as Kay joined him.

Kaiba then came out of his hiding place and walked up to Yami and Cat. "Isn't it a little late for Halloween?" Kaiba asked as he approached the two.

Yami and Cat turned to face him.

"Kaiba?!" Yami asked. "What are you doing in this world?"

"I've been asking myself that same question! I certainly didn't choose to come here." Kaiba answered. "Why is everyone running around in these ridiculous costumes, and speaking like they're in some bad Shakespearean play? And am I supposed to believe that that's some ancient version of myself."

He looked at Seth.

"His name is Seth." Yami said. "And three thousand years ago, he fought bravely at the Pharaoh's side to save Egypt. I had also learned that our father's were brothers."

"Are you saying we're COUSINS?" Kaiba asked.

"Pretty much, yeah, you two are cousins." Cat said with a small giggle.

"All I know is that we've gone back in time, and the same evil force that once tried to destroy mankind has come back. Kaiba you should go home. It isn't safe for you to be here." Yami said.

"Pharaoh or no Pharaoh, no one tells Seto Kaiba what to do!" Kaiba said, huffing.

"You know, I never thought I'd see you here and all. But why do you have to go around still acting rude?"

Kaiba looked over and saw Kay marching up to him. Kaiba blinked in confusment.

"K-Kay?" He asked.

Kay raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who's this "Kay" you speak of?" She asked sarcastically and faked a pose. "My name is Khephera!"

There was a silence between the four.

"Oh come on! I was kidding! Yes, it's me, Kay! But here, I'm apparently a priestess named Khephera who's engaged to YOUR ancient counterpart!" She cried, giving Kaiba a hard look.

Kaiba looked a little surprised. "E-engaged?!" He cried.

The two continued to bicker.

Cat sweatdropped. "Well…at least this "scene" is familiar." She said with a weak smile.

"No kidding." Yami said, also sweatdropping.

Kay sighed. "Ugh, I don't wanna argue with you right now!" She said, frowning at the ground as tears fell out of her eyes.

Whatever anger Kaiba had earlier, disappeared. He was taken aback by her sudden tears.

"H-Hey! What's wrong now?!" He asked.

Kay didn't reply and instead, hugged Kaiba. Kaiba looked speechless.

"Y-You jerk." She said. "I'm just happy to see you, is all, Seto."

Kaiba blinked. Slowly and hesitently he returned the hug without saying a word.

* * *

**YAY!  
...Yup...Yay.  
K, I don't have much to say right now. _ But I can say that there was romance in this chappie! Yay!  
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	53. Yugi's Wish

"Kaiba has made quite the comeback, saying no one tells him what to do. But there's nothing you, Kaiba or the girls can do to stop me now! The sands of the hourglass have almost emptied and in a matter of moments, the Dark One will return!" Bakura said.

"_He's right...our only hope is to unlock my hidden power by uncovering the greatest secret of my past...my true name._" Yami thought to himself. "Every challenge in a game has a solution and you're playing with the King of Games!"

He quickly reviewed his clues.

"True...unless you miraculously regain your memory in the next few moments, you'll lose the Shadow Game. There is another way to unlock the mystery, but I've already taken measures to make sure it never happens. It involves your meddlesome friends. They've stumbled upon your old tomb, within is inscribed the Pharaoh's name." Bakura said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Yami asked.

"If I give you a glimmer of hope, you'll be that much more devastated when it comes crumbling down! The moment they discover the Pharaoh's true name, they'll be stopped by my newest pawn...who was a faithful friend of yours until he lost his mind to me!" Bakura laughed.

* * *

"Tell us! What was it that you first wished for the day you solved the Millennium Puzzle?" Honda asked Yugi again.

Yugi had tears in his eyes. "I wished for true friends...and my wish was granted." He replied, remembering all the good times he had with his friends. "You all were my wish."

"Do you mean that, Yug?" Jounouchi asked, surprised.

"You never told us that." Anzu said.

"How precious." Honda said, pulling Yugi to him as if he was going to hug him, but suddenly pushed him away.

Yugi fell backwards onto the eye design.

"Hey! Honda!" Anzu snapped.

"What's the deal?!" Jounouchi yelled.

"How mean! That's not like you at all!" Kristen cried.

Honda grinned maliciously and shoved the other three down onto the other eye before walking over to join them. The floor suddenly trembled and cracked, falling away to lave only the part outlined by the design balanced percariously on a slender needle of a stone, with Yugi on one end and the four on the other.

The balance slowly spinned and another door opened on the far side of the chamber.

"Go through that door and you'll find what you're looking for." Honda said to Yugi.

"B-But, to go in there, Yugi has to give up his wish! So when Yugi leaves the balance beam, we're out of his life for good!" Jounouchi cried. "Yug! Do what you gotta do!"

"I can't do that!" Yugi cried. "If I leave, you'll all fall into the pit!"

"You're pathetic! You finally have the chance to find the Pharaoh's name and you're worried about these fools!" Honda said.

"Hey! Back off, Honda!" Jounouchi snapped.

Honda then, jumped from the balance to the doorway, which caused the balance to tip and the others teetering as the balance shifted.

"Yug! This thing's goin' down! Run for it!" Jounouchi cried before he jumped from the balance with Anzu and Kristen, just barely catching onto the ledge in front of the doorway. Yugi ran up the balance and leapt, landing on Jounouchi's back as the balance fell into the pit. Jounouchi looked over at Yugi, who was clinging to his waist, over his shoulder.

"It's true what they say! You've got to hang onto your friends!" Jounouchi laughed.

"You and your puns." Anzu groaned as she climbed onto the ledge with Kristen and helped Yugi climb over Jounouchi's back. Once Yugi got up, all three of them helped Jounouchi up before quickly running into the new chamber, where a golden panel carved with hieroglyphics stood.

"That must be the Pharaoh's name." Yugi said.

"But what does it say?" Kristen asked.

"I know what it says!" Jounouchi said proudly. "Bird, rock, lamb chop, bird and bigger bird. But what does it mean?"

"We should just memorize the symbols." Anzu said. "We have to find Honda and get out of here."

They then, found an underground stairway, which led into a large cavern with a stone bridge crossing it. Honda walked towards them from the other side.

"I thought you were down for the count." He said. "But apparently, you don't know when to quit." He said.

"I've had enough! Honda, consider this friendship over!" Jounouchi snapped.

"Jounouchi...I don't think that's Honda." Yugi pointed out.

"No, it can't be. Honda would never act this way." Kristen agreed with Yugi.

"You're right." Honda said before he turned into Yami Bakura! He was in his present day form. "Now the real fun can start!"

* * *

"Unfortunately, we're unable to see what goes on in the Pharaoh's tomb. But I'm guessing your friends were sent plummeting into the Shadows by my other half." Bakura said, sitting at the RPG table. "They may have located your name first, but the information will never make it to you. Not only that, but time is up."

The last remaining sands fell through the hourglass and Bakura luaghed.

"NO!" Yami shouted.

The skies over Egypt suddenly turned dark.

* * *

The chamber that Bakura, Yugi and the others were in, began to quake.

"The Dark One is about to make his grand entrance." Bakura said.

"We have to stop him!" Yugi cried.

"It's impossible. There's only one way to do that and there's no way you're leaving here with the Pharaoh's name!" Bakura said as a modern day Duel Disk formed on his arm. "Prepare yourself for your final duel! It all comes down to this! It's been a while since we've faced off in a duel, but this time you don't have your alter ego to bail you out!"

"Yugi, maybe we shouldn't go through with his." Anzu said, worried.

"Anzu's right! Not till we know where Honda is!" Jounouchi agreed.

Bakura laughed, remembering when Honda attacked thief Bakura after Yami's fall.

"Honda was weak! And I was able to take over his mind!" He said.

"Everything makes sense now!" Kristen exclaimed.

"Where is Honda now?! We want our friend back!" Jounouchi yelled at Bakura.

"If you ever want to see Honda again, you'd better get this game under way." Bakura said.

"Fine! Let's duel!" Yugi said, determined.

* * *

"Take cover!" Hasan cried to Shada, Shimon, Isis and Mana as the dark clouds began to swirl and rocks began to fly up to the pyramid in the sky.

"Wait Karim!" Isis cried and turned back. But Shimon took her arm.

"We must hurry!" He cried and a building was beginning to fall on them, but the Dark Magician Girl came to their rescue and destroyed the wall with a blast of magic.

Bakura stood over them, riding the Millennium Stone as if it was some kind of Magic Carpet.

"It's hopeless! The age of darkness has arrived!" He laughed as Diabound rose behind him. "If you thought Diabound was frightening, just wait! The Lord of Darkness is here!"

And with that, Bakura and Diabound dissolved into red light.

* * *

"Behold! The might Zorc!" Bakura said as the RPG table glowed red.

Waves of light emerged from the Millennium Stone and shot up into the sky.

Then, a bright red light beamed down from the clouds and the Millennium Stone broke apart, the Millennium Items flying away.

The red light struck the ground, splitting it open and fire burst forth.

Around the fire, the great beast raised.

"It's true! The being responsible for creating the Shadow Realm has crossed over into our world!" Isis cried.

"How can we stop it?" Mana asked.

According to the prophecy, there's only one person who can defeat Zorc! The chosen Pharaoh!" Shada answered.

Zorc loomed over them as the skies roiled and rocks flew all around.

* * *

"Checkmate!" Bakura cried at the RPG table. "My most powerful game piece has joined the competition! Now to wipe your kingdom off the map! Zorc! Reduce the land to rubble and envelop Egypt in eternal darkness!"

Zorc exhaled steam between his hangs and his eyes glowed red.

"The same force that threatened your homeland three thousand years ago has returned to finish the job!" Bakura said to Yami.

* * *

"Zorc! What do you want from us?!" Isis called to Zorc.

"Ages ago, I created the Shadow Realm, where I have resided for centuries. Now that I've been released, our worlds will converge, and you will be swallowed by darkness!" Zorc answered.

Zorc had another serpent head coming from his body, and it shot fire from its mouth.

"Farewell, mortals!" Zorc cried.

Yami at the RPG table, watched in horror as the fiery blast aimed at Isis and the other priests. But before the fire could reach them, Hasan leapt in front of them, to protect them.

"According to legend, not even Hasan can defend us from the Dark One!" Shimon said.

"Go and evacuate the kingdom while you still can!" Hasan cried.

The priests nodded and hopped onto their horses and rode away while Hasan continued to hold off the attack.

"A protector of Pharaohs is no match for the Lord of Darkness." Zorc said and doubled his attack, causing Hasan to be thrown down.

"Pharaoh…I've failed you." Hasan said weakly before…he died.

* * *

"The Dark One has already begun its rampage! But no need to worry about that. As long as you remain underground, Zorc can't harm you." Bakura said to Yugi and the others. "But that doesn't mean you're safe from me!"

"If we want to help the Pharaoh take down Zorc, then I have to take down Bakura." Yugi said to himself as Jounouchi, Kristen and Anzu shouted encouragement's to him.

The duel started.

* * *

Zorc marched across the desert. His footsteps caused the ground to shake.

"Do you believe me now, Kaiba?" Yami asked as they all watched from the ruin.

Kaiba crossed his arms across his chest.

"For all I know, this whole thing is a bad dream." He replied.

Yami turned to look at Seth, who was still kneeling at Kisara's side.

"Rest here. I promise me and Khephera will return for you." Seth promised. "Please, lend us your power."

Seth then covered Kisara with a cloth and stood up.

Yami looked back at Kaiba.

"Why don't you try telling that to Seth?" He asked.

"Am I supposed to feel bad because some guy who looks like me, lost his girlfriend?" Kaiba asked.

"Have it your way." Yami said and walked off, Cat following.

Kay sighed.

"You're still as skeptic as ever, Seto." She said. "Fine. I'm going with these guys. So...even though you think you're dreaming, just try to be careful anyways, okay?"

"Kay...you actually believe all this?" Kaiba asked.

"Seto, with everything I've been through recently, how can I not?" Kay answered before turning and walking away. "Just be careful."

Yami rode away with Cat on his horse. Seth and Kay rode on another horse that…somehow got there.

Kaiba reached out to try and stop Kay, but they were already gone. He sighed and walked over to Kisara, standing over her.

He remembered encountering her in the city before turning away and walking off through the swirling sands.

* * *

Lightning flashed in the sky as the panicked citizens of Egypt watched.

"Citizens! Seek refuge in the palace!" The palace guards urged everyone.

Yami, Cat, Seth and Kay rode towards the city.

They noticed that soldiers were already gathering on the hillside, preparing for battle. The troops wheeled wooden missiles and stone catapults into position as the four arrived.

"SHIMON! SHADA!" Seth called as the two returned.

"Welcome back!" Shimon said happily.

"Good to see you're still with us." Shada said to Seth with a small smile. "You're just in time."

I'm grateful to see that you're safe, Seth." Isis said.

"I wish I could say the same for my father." Seth said.

"Is Aknadin still under Bakura's control?" Shada asked.

"Aknadin has been destroyed. But Seth is now free." Kay answered. Everyone got off their horses.

"Alright. We must fight." Yami said and started forward, about to head for Zorc, but he faltered and fell to his knees.

Cat caught him.

"But you're too weak for this, right now." She protested.

"Pharaoh, allow me to lead the soldiers and reclaim my honor." Seth said.

"Alright. We trust you." Yami said.

Zorc appeared on the horizon.

"Men! Get ready! In the name of the Pharaoh!" Seth cried. "We shall prevail!"

Zorc continued to march towards Egypt, angry spirits swirling around his feet.

"Have patience! Wait until we see the "reds" of his eyes." Seth said to the soldiers.

After a moment, when Zorc approached, Seth ordered the soldiers to fire.

The wooden missiles were launched. They hit Zorc, but it didn't seem to have any effect on him.

Next, the catapults fired, but it did no damage.

"Don't give up, men! Zorc is but one beast against a great army!" Seth cried.

Zorc then, waved his clawed fist, causing a huge shockwave to head towards the Egyptian army.

* * *

"Enough!" Yami snapped.

"But things are just getting interesting." Bakura said as the Millennium Puzzle hanging over the table began to sway and red electricity buzzed around the table.

"What's going on?" Yami asked.

"The events of the past are beginning to affect the present. If the world was destroyed three thousand years ago, then the world of today would cease to exist." Bakura explained.

"You can't do this!" Yami protested.

But I already have." Bakura said. "As soon as Zorc covers ancient Egypt in darkness, I'll have completed what I began centuries ago. This Shadow Game is the crossroads of time, where the past and the future meet. And before it's through, I will have destroyed both. And none of it was possible without you! You allowed me to reunite with the Dark One. Now the Shadow Realm has been unlocked and the darkness has been released!"

* * *

Zorc's attacks tore up the ground at the army's feet.

"He's just too strong!" Shada cried.

"Seth, we must retreat and regroup." Yami said.

"Yes." Seth said with a nod. "Men! Return to the palace!"

* * *

Back in present day, Zorc's attacks began to effect Domino, causing a hurricane in the town square that shattered the glass in the clock.

It blew Weevil across the ground. "MY DECK IS BEING BLOWN AWAY!" He shreaked.

Rex clinged onto a lamppost for dear life.

"We've got bigger problems than your stupid deck!" He snapped.

* * *

Zorc continued to stride towards the palace, where everyone had gathered.

"I'm afraid the Dark One is too powerful for an army of mere mortals to defeat. The only way to face a supernatural threat is to use a supernatural army." Shimon said.

Zorc stopped before the palace.

"Sacred Priests! Summon your most powerful monsters!" Seth said to the other priests.

Mana called forth the Dark Magician Girl, and Isis called upon Spiria. Shada summoned Two-Headed Jackal Warrior and Seth summoned Duos.

"Your meek warriors are powerless against me." Zorc said and his red eyes glowed.

"Duos! Aura Sword!" Seth cried.

"Two-Headed Jackal Warrior! Battle Axe!" Shada cried.

With those two, including the Dark Magician Girl's Dark Burning Attack, the three attacked Zorc.

But they had no effect.

"Your feeble attempts at combat insult me." Zorc said and counterattacked.

He swept all the monsters away with one blow.

"Zorc is invincible!" Seth cried.

"Everything has a weakness." Yami said.

Just then, Zorc shot an attack towards Yami.

But before the attack could hit, Shada leapt in front of Yami, protecting him from the attack. He fell to the ground and Yami kneeled next to him.

"Shada! Wake up!" He cried.

"Pharaoh…farewell…" Shada said weakly and died.

"Shada…" Yami said and stood up, his fists clenched. He stared fiercely up at Zorc. "Shada, your actions won't be in vain. I will defeat this menace."

Lightening flashed and the dark skies continued to roil as people ran for their lives from Zorc.

"Men! Stand your ground! That beast must not advance beyond the palace walls! Zorc must be destroyed at all costs!" Seth cried. "Urg…if only I had the strength to summon a creature of my own! Zorc would easily fall at the hands on the White Dragon! Kisara…please help us."

Yami, Cat, Isis and Kay kneeled beside Shada's body.

Cat sighed sadly. "No...not another." She whispered.

"Shada…" Isis said with tears in her eyes.

* * *

"Zorc's resurrection has brought out the worst of both worlds. As the world of the past sinks into the darkness, so does its present-day counterpart, and before long, neither will exist." Bakura said at the RPG table. "And the best part is that it's all your fault, Pharaoh. If you hadn't traveled back in time to learn about your past, I wouldn't have been able to join you. And you're the only one who can stop me, but you never will. You can't remember the key to beating Zorc! Your own name."

"That may be true, but there is someone out there with the courage and determination to find it for me! Yugi! There's a reason Yugi and me met. So we could rescue mankind from the evils that scoundrels like you unleash!" Yami said. "And it's not just Yugi you need to worry about. I have all my friends by his and my side."

Bakura only laughed.

"Such a tough guy! Well, we'll see how long your arrogance will last." He said.

* * *

**Hmm, yup. I'm feeling special today, so I'm uploading two more chapters today. That's right. Two. :D It's a rare thing.  
Since most of my chapters are pre-written, I'm fine with it. :D  
And I know that the Weevil and Rex scenes aren't very important. But I added them in because I thought they were funny. :)  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
See you next chappie! :D**


	54. A Dark Battle

Zorc continued to attack the palace walls.

"Pharaoh…it's useless. Our defenses are too weak." Shimon said.

"Yes…I know." Yami sadly agreed.

"There's only one way to defeat a creature as powerful as Zorc! You must summon the three Egyptian gods!" Shimon said.

"I-I can't. Not without my Millennium Puzzle. Besides…my energy is much too low." Yami protested.

"That's true. Without the Items, none of us have the strength we need." Shimon said.

Isis stood up.

"We must search the desert until we find the Items." She said.

"But haven't they already been destroyed?" Yami asked.

"When Zorc first arrived in our world, the seven Millennium Items were scattered throughout the desert. If we can find them, we might be able to save Egypt!" Shimon exclaimed.

"I'll go." Yami said.

"No, you have other matters to attend to. The soldiers are depending on their king for support. With Spiria as my guide, I know I can locate the Items." Isis said.

Mana came up with Isis. "I'm going too." She said.

"Mana…maybe you shouldn't." Yami said.

"If Mahaado was here, he would want me to go." Mana said.

"Well…alright." Yami said.

"We won't let you down!" Mana said.

"I hope not." Seth said. "Mana, Isis, take the south route, while me and my men distract Zorc."

Isis and Mana nodded and hurried away.

Yami, Kay and Cat wished them luck.

* * *

A little while later, Isis and Mana flew on the back of Wing Dragon Guardian of the Fortress, returning from their trip.

"We're not too late. Zorc hasn't made it into the palace yet." Mana said.

The soldiers continued to attack Zorc, who looked over his shoulder and spotted the dragon speeding back towards the palace.

He turned around. "The Millennium Items are powerless against me." He said and started to throw fireballs at them, which the dragon was able to dodge.

The Winged Dragon landed just beyond the palace walls and Shimon ran to them.

"Mana, I'll deal with Zorc, while you take the Items to the Pharaoh." Isis said.

"What? I'm not going to let you fight alone!" Mana protested.

"But if the Pharaoh doesn't get the Items, all hope is lost." Isis said.

Mana was hesitant.

"The fate of the world is at stake, and your place is with the Pharaoh. Mahaado would have said the same thing." Isis continued.

Tears in her eyes, Mana nodded and took the sack, containing the Millennium Items and jumped down from the dragon, running to the palace.

Isis wore the Millennium Necklace, asking it to grant her strength.

The Winged Dragon she sat on grew larger.

Spiria distracted Zorc as Isis and the Winged Dragon rammed into Zorc.

"You'll pay for that!" Zorc growled and took out the dragon with one swipe.

Isis fell from the dragon and plummeted towards the ground.

Tears fell from her eyes. "I'm sorry Pharaoh. I will now join the others." She said.

Zorc continued to attack as Shimon reached the wall, where he spotted Spiria float away into the sky. He knew what this meant.

"Farewell…Isis." He said sadly.

Mana reached Shimon and fell to her knees, weeping for Isis.

"You must take the Millennium Items to the Pharaoh, so that Isis will not have died in vain." Shimon said to her and took the Millennium Key from the sack. "I'll buy some more time. Before Shada, I was the priest of the Millennium Key. Take the rest to the king."

Mana nodded and ran off with the remaining Millennium Items.

"Millennium Key…grant me strength this one last time, in the name of the Pharaoh!" Shimon cried and held up the Key. "I call upon! The Forbidden One!"

Five spots circled around Zorc and five stone tablets rose along the circle, each with a piece of Exodia, the Forbidden One cared on it.

"Behold! Exodia, protector of Egypt!" Shimon cried as the ten-pointed star on the ground glowed.

In a shaft of light, Exodia appeared, bound in chains.

The soldiers cheered as Exodia appeared.

"It's the Forbidden One! A best so powerful it was able to defeat an army of thousands in a single night!" Seth cried.

"If not for Exodia, this land would have fallen at the hands of its enemies! Due to its incredible strength, I sealed it into five stone tablets, vowing never to release it again. But now, I lift that seal!" Shimon said.

Exodia's chains burst and the two monsters clashed and Exodia ripped Zorc's arm off.

"Good!" Shimon cried.

"It doesn't matter, I'm immortal!" Zorc said and the arm in Exodia's fists turned to sand and a new arm spurted from Zorc's shoulder.

Zorc then ripped off Exodia's arm and tossed it aside.

Shimon clutched his shoulder in pain.

"But if Zorc's immortal, so is Exodia." He said.

Sand rose from the desert to form a new arm for Exodia.

The soldiers continued to cheer as Exodia and Zorc fought.

"It's as powerful as Zorc!" Seth exclaimed.

"Let's hope." Yami said.

Shimon gasped with the effort of maintaining the monster.

Zorc laughed. "How do you expect to overpower me?" He asked Exodia. "You draw your life force from a single human, while mine is derived from the darkness itself!"

"Then observe what the life force of a single human can do!" Shimon cried and commanded Exodia to obliterate!

Exodia released a huge blast.

As everyone watched, Shimon offered up every ounce of his spirit to implore Exodia to burn through the darkness.

"There's not a creature in existence that can overpower me! My strength is infinite!" Zorc cried and counterattacks, his dark blast bursting through Exodia.

Shimon coughed up blood as Exodia was split in half and crumbled to dust. Shimon collapsed to his knees.

"Pharaoh…I failed you." He said and fell to the ground, the Millennium Key dropping from his hand, dead.

Zorc turned to the palace. "Pharaoh! Opposing me is futile! I am the embodiment of pure darkness, and as the world is enveloped by Shadows, my power shall grow! Kneel before your new master!" He said.

"Never!" Yami yelled. "The light of hope still shines upon the people of Egypt! And that light can illuminate the darkest shadows!"

Mana finally ran up to Yami and handed him the Millennium Puzzle, weeping.

"Isis and Shimon died so I could bring this to you." She said.

"I promise that their actions will not be in vain." Yami said as the Puzzle glowed and his energy was renewed.

"I can't believe it. Are they really gone?" Cat asked, sadness in her eyes.

"I'm afraid so." Kay said sadly.

Cat and Kay then went over to Mana to comfort her.

Yami walked towards Zorc, holding the Millennium Puzzle in his hand. "I face you with the spirits of those who gave up so much to gain peace! In the name of the people of Egypt, I shall prevail!" He shouted.

"Pharaoh! Please let me handle this!" Seth said.

"No. Zorc is mine." Yami said.

Seth began to protest.

"Seth, we've tried everything in our power. There's only one hope left, and it lies in my hands." Yami said and held up the Millennium Puzzle. "Zorc invaded my kingdom and threatened my people! And now Zorc must pay for his crime! Millennium Puzzle! Activate!"

Light blazed from the Puzzle.

Yami raised his Diadiankh. "I call upon the three Egyptian Gods! Obelisk the Tormentor! Slifer the Sky Dragon and the Winged Dragon of Ra!" He cried.

The three Egyptian gods burst from the temple and attacked Zorc.

Slifer was the first to strike, knocking Zorc to the ground. Obelisk stood over Zorc while Ra hovered overhead.

* * *

Yami smiled. "It appears the game has shifted in my favor." He said to Bakura.

"Those monsters are no match for Zorc and you should know. Because me and Zorc are on and the same!" Bakura said. "Now, we'll go for a closer look."

A dark ball of lightning formed over the RPG, engulfing Yami and Bakura, transferring them into the Memory World.

Yami combined with the Pharaoh.

"Zorc! Surrender now or face the rage of the three Egyptian Gods!" He cried.

Bakura combined with Zorc.

"When I'm through with them, the Egyptian Gods will bow before the Lord of Darkness!" He said.

* * *

Ra roared just as Kaiba showed up, shocked to see the three God monsters standing in the desert.

They seemed too realistic to be holograms. Could the have been…the real thing?

Was Kay right?

"Obelisk! Strike Zorc down with your Fist of Fate!" Yami cried and Obelisk did so.

Zorc crashed to the ground.

"It's not a bad start…but we'll see if Yugi can keep it up." Kaiba said.

Yami then ordered Slifer to attack and Slifer did so. And finally Yami called to Ra.

"May your light banish the darkness!" He cried and Ra rose into the sky, and a bright light beamed down on Zorc.

"Now! Combine your strength and attack Zorc all at once!" Yami commanded.

The Egyptian God's attacks hit Zorc with such a huge force, everyone was thrown back.

Kaiba continued to watch in awe as the people of Egypt cheered.

Everyone stood up.

"It's over." Seth said.

"Let's hope so." Yami said.

Obelisk stood over the chasm into which Zorc was blasted, while Slifer and Ra flew overhead.

The clouds parted and the sunlight returned. The soldiers cheered that Zorc was finally gone and that they were all free.

Mana, Cat and Kay jumped up.

"You did it!" They cried to Yami happily.

"We all did it." Yami replied.

But then…the ground began to tremble…and Zorc's fist shot up from the ground!

From his hand, darkness spread and once again bolted out the sun.

"What's he doing?" Kay asked.

"He's covering Egypt in complete darkness!" Cat cried.

"Somehow…that thing caused a solar eclipse." Kaiba said.

Frantically, Yami ordered the Egyptian Gods to attack before the light was gone.

They flew towards Zorc and Zorc grabbed Ra's leg in his claw. Ra pulled him up out of the ground, trying to fly away. Obelisk grabbed onto Zorc's leg and the three of the rose up into the sky. Darkness began to emanate from Zorc himself.

"As long as the darkness spreads, my strength grows!" Zorc cried.

Ra broke free and Yami ordered Ra and Slifer to attack. But Zorc repelled their attacks.

"Without the sun's rays, they're powerless against me!" Zorc cried and counterattacked. Slifer and Ra were turned to stone and they fell to the ground.

Then, Obelisk, who was still clinging to Zorc's leg, also turned to stone and fell to the ground.

Everyone was horrified!

"How did Zorc defeat the Egyptian Gods?!" Yami cried.

"This was our last hope!" The soldiers cried.

"That's nuts! No one defeats those monsters!" Kaiba cried as well.

Zorc landed, crushing the stone body of Obelisk underfoot.

Yami gasped and fell to his knees in pain, Cat kneeled next to him.

"Yami! Hang in there!" She cried.

Zorc stood beneath the eclipsed sun.

"The Egyptian Gods have fallen." He said.

Yami stared at the petrified bodies of the three Egyptian Gods. He was still in pain from losing Obelisk.

"Even your deities were forced to surrender when confronted with the power of the Shadow Realm. A world that is now converging with your own, for when the Pharaoh's people fashioned the Millennium Items, they opened the doorway to the darkness. And now the world as you know it shall crumble." Zorc said and punched the Ra statue, breaking off its head.

Yami coughed up blood and shuddered in pain before collapsing onto the ground.

Cat grabbed his shoulders. "Yami! Are you all right?!" She asked. "It's no use…you're too weak to fight."

Seth turned to Zorc, angrily.

"The Pharaoh is cowering at the feet of the new lord and ruler of Egypt!" Zorc said triumphantly and started towards Seth and the soldiers.

"Lord Seth! All is lost! We must surrender!" One of the soldiers said to Seth.

The rest of the soldiers turn and ran.

"Hold your ground!" Seth commanded, but the scared soldiers ignored him.

Zorc attacked, sending a fireball over the walls and into the city.

"Soon, there will be nowhere to hide!" He said.

"Luna! Mana! Khephera! Take the Pharaoh back to the palace!" Seth said.

"But…" Kay began to protest.

"Go! And leave Zorc to me!" Seth commanded.

Obeying, Cat and Mana lifted Yami to his feet and lead him away. Kay followed, but stopped and hid nearby. She wasn't going to let Seth face this alone.

Seth turned to Zorc, by himself. He lifted his Millennium Rod.

"In the name of the Pharaoh, I'll return you to the Realm of Shadows!" Seth cried and ran towards Zorc.

"Foolish human. The Shadow Realm is now here on earth, where I will reign supreme." Zorc said and shot fireballs at Seth, who dodged them and continued to run towards Zorc.

"You are a trespasser in this kingdom, and this world!" Seth cried. "Kisara! Lend me your power!"

He then, summoned the White Dragon, which attacked Zorc, knocking him down.

Kaiba watched from a cliff above. "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon! This is finally starting to get interesting." He said.

The White Dragon shot another attack at Zorc, who used his arm to deflect it. But it shot off his arm. The arm flew and landed on a building inside the city's walls before it dissolved away. The darkness began to recede from the sun. And the rays of light shined on the White Dragon.

The people of Egypt ran into the streets, amazed to see that the White Dragon had conquered the darkness.

Seth looked up at the Dragon. "Kisara, your strength is greater than I thought." He said and the White Dragon roared.

But suddenly, Zorc came up from underground. Seth, Kay and Kaiba watched in horror as Zorc grabbed a hold of the White Dragon's throat with his mouth.

While he did that, a new arm grew where he had lost his other one and grabbed onto the Dragon's head.

"Eventually, every creature must serve the darkness." Zorc said.

"Not me!" Seth said.

But then, the shadows began to consume his arm and the Millennium Rod.

The White Dragon was then turned to stone and thrown against a building, causing it to shatter. Seth then fell to the ground, covered in darkness.

The sun was once again blotted out and the people in the streets began to dispair.

"The White Dragon was our last hope! Now Egypt belongs to Zorc!" Someone said.

Kaiba then ran towards Zorc, angrily. "That sideshow freak beat the Blue-Eyes and the Egyptian Gods!" He cried.

Zorc stomped towards the city.

"I'll collapse one brick at a time." He said and crashed through the city wall. "First Egypt, then the world!"

He continued on through, walking through the streets and blasting away with fireballs from both mouths. People ran around, terrified.

Kaiba somehow managed to get ahead of Zorc and up on top of one of the buildings in Zorc's path.

"Nobody likes a bully. Especially me!" Kaiba said and paused when he spotted a boy and his brother try to run from Zorc. He then jumped down onto the street. "If you want to pick on someone, pick on me!" He snapped at Zorc.

Without saying anything, Zorc blasted a fireball at Kaiba. He was able to dodge the fire in time.

Zorc was about to attack again, until he suddenly got hit! Zorc looked at his attackers and saw the monster, Hyozanryu.

"Where did it come from?" Kaiba wondered and suddenly felt someone lightly smack the back of his head.

"You idiot. Why the heck would you try to take on Zorc without any monsters? Didn't I tell you to be careful?"

Kaiba turned around and there was Kay.

"Kay…" Kaiba said. "How did you summon that monster?"

"Its called "Ka". Those monsters are pretty much our spirits. So if they're destroyed, we get hurt." Kay explained. "I finally figured out how to summon them. So right now I'm being a distraction while YOU get a Duel Disk ready."

"But I don't have a Duel Disk." Kaiba said.

"I don't know how, but apparently people from the present can have a Duel Disk form on their arm. Concentrate and see if you can." Kay said.

Kay Ka continued to attack and dodge Zorc.

Kaiba concentrated hard and after a moment, a Duel Disk "magically" appeared on his arm.

"It worked!" He said and drew a card and slapped it down on the Duel Disk. And of course…it was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The Dragon appeared in the sky, ready to face Zorc.

Zorc stopped paying attention to Kay's monster and turned to the Blue-Eyes.

"Your Egyptian counterpart already tried this and failed. What makes you think that your fate will be any different?" Zorc asked.

"I've been smacking around with virtual monsters like you since I could talk. As a matter of fact, my first words were, "Neutron Blast Attack"." Kaiba said smugly.

"You should have stayed in your own world! Your cards and holograms are useless here." Zorc said.

Kaiba pulled out his other two Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards. "You may have been able to handle one Blue-Eyes, but lets see you stand up to three! In the form of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" He cried.

The three dragons merged and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon attacked Zorc, sending him crashed back through the city wall.

"That's the last mistake you'll ever make!" Zorc said, getting up. "Prepare to join your other half in eternal darkness!"

Zorc and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon began to fight.

* * *

**Annnndddd here's the second chapter! :D  
I hope you enjoyed it! The final battle is raging on!  
See you next chappie! :D**


	55. Victory of the King

It was a while until Yugi finally won the duel against Bakura.

"Man! I never get tired of watching Yugi kick butt!" Jounouchi cried happily.

Bakura sank to his knees.

"I wouldn't be celebrating if I were you." He said. "Yugi's victory is all in vain."

"We'll see about that." Yugi said. "Now let us go!"

Bakura laughed. "All right. But it's too late to save the Pharaoh." He said. "While we were playing cards, Zorc was ushering in the age of darkness. So despite your apparent victory, I win the game."

He laughed one last time before he suddenly fell to the ground and faded away, leaving Honda lying there.

Everyone ran to him.

"Honda! Wake up!" Jounouchi cried, shaking him.

Honda suddenly jumped up to his hands and knees.

"Where are we?" He asked. "Did I pass out or something?"

"Bakura was wearing your body like a cheap suit." Jounouchi answered.

Honda stood up.

"I was possessed?" He asked.

"That's right, and if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be trapped in this tomb!" Jounouchi said.

"What did I do?" Honda asked.

"First you double-crossed us, then attacked us…then you almost destroyed Yugi." Anzu explained.

Honda turned to Yugi.

"Yugi, I'm sorry that I caused all that trouble." He apologized, guilty.

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault." Yugi said.

Suddenly, everyone heard a crash! The room started to shake. "Whoa! I think the tomb is collapsing!" Jounouchi cried.

"Let's get out of here!" Kristen cried.

Everyone turned and ran.

"Anyone have any idea where we're going?" Honda asked.

"Not a clue." Jounouchi said as they ran from the cavern and into a tunnel. They then ran out of the tunnel, which opened out onto the side of a cliff.

"How do we get down?" Kristen asked.

"Everyone! Follow me!" Jounouchi said and stepped onto the steep side of the cliff and began to slide down. Everyone followed him and they soon reached the bottom, where the hooded riders confronted them, drawing their swords. Honda glared at them and attacked the riders, bare-handed.

"I've caused enough trouble! About time I paid you guys back!" He cried and jumped one of the riders, dragging him off his horse.

Jounouchi followed and one of the riders swung their sword at Jounouchi. Everyone cried out as Jounouchi held up his arms in defense from the sword.

But to Jounouchi's surprise, the sword hit a Duel Disk that appeared on his arm!

"Where did dat come from?" He wondered.

"I get it! If we concentrate hard enough, our thoughts can become real!" Yugi said.

Honda stood up. "Guess what I'm thinking!" He said and a Duel Disk formed on his arm as well.

Jounouchi and Honda then ran towards the remaining riders. Jounouchi stopped and pulled out two cards from his deck and summoned Gearfried the Iron Knight and Flame Swordsman.

Honda summoned Lava Battleguard and Swamp Battleguard. The monsters leapt into battle as Jounouchi and Honda re-joined Yugi, Kristen and Anzu.

The riders surrounded them.

"There's no time to fight! We've got to concentrate on getting out of here!" Yugi cried.

The five closed their eyes and concentrated. They soon began to glow and they shot up into the air, leaving the riders behind.

"If we think hard enough, can we turn those punks into something more interesting?" Honda wondered.

"There's only one way to find out!" Jounouchi said with a grin before he and Honda closed their eyes.

"Pork chops and applesauce…pork chops and applesauce…" They chanted.

But the riders remained riders.

"We have the power to fly, but we can't get a decent meal!" Jounouchi complained.

"We're running out of time! Let's kick it into hyper speed!" Yugi said and the five flew off into the desert.

Back in the present, the Kaiba Corp. jet flew over Egypt in a storm.

Mokuba stood behind the pilot, trying to get a hold of Kaiba on his radio headset.

Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the jet and Mokuba saw the image of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon ahead of them.

Then the image disappeared and a hole opened up in the clouds, revealing a vision of ancient Egypt.

* * *

Back in the Memory World, Zorc and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon continued to fight. The present day world began to appear beyond the clouds.

"The ultimate collision of light and shadow has created a bridge between our realms." Zorc said. "Now I have a new world to conquer! The world of the future!"

The ground began to crack under Kaiba and Kay's feet. "Bow before your new lord and master!" Zorc said to them.

"Never!" The two shouted.

* * *

Mana kneeled over Yami, who was unconscious. She was calling on her powers to restore his strength. Cat sat next to Mana, looking worried.

After a moment, Yami woke up and sat up.

"Where is Zorc?" He asked.

Not waiting for an answer, he jumped up and ran to the balcony wall, looking out to see the battle between Zorc and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"Mana, Cat…where did the dragon come from?" He asked as the other two joined him.

"Cat?" Mana asked, looking at Cat.

Cat held up her hands.

"U-uh…it's a nickname he…gave me?" She studdered, trying to cover up.

"Ooo-kay…makes sense." Mana said slowly and turned back to Yami. "While you were unconscious, Seth's White Dragon was defeated by Zorc, and then came back in a different form."

"There's only one person I know who can summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Kaiba!" Yami cried and looked up into the sky where the energy from the battle opened up a portal.

"Mana…I need the Millennium Scale." He said. Mana handed him the Millennium Scale. "This may be our last chance to defeat Zorc." Yami said and held up the Scale. "Karim…lend me your power." The Puzzle, Scale and Yami's Diadiankh started to glow.

Mana and Cat wished him luck as Yami leapt down from the balcony, calling out to Kaiba.

Kaiba looked up at Yami flying down towards him.

"He's nuts!" Kaiba mummered to himself.

"I know you know what to do!" Yami called.

Kaiba clenched his fists and shouted before flying up into the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"They have merged to become, Master of Dragon Soldier!" Yami said and stood atop the dragon, calling the dragon to attack.

"Whoa…how did that just happen?" Kay asked, looking up at the new dragon. "Seto just fused with his monster! Weird…"

The dragon shot a huge blast of power and it hit Zorc.

The attack created a great ball of light over the city. The light expanded to hit the Dragon Soldier, blowing it to bits, then engulfed Zorc as well.

Once the light faded, Yami laid on the ground, looking out at the hazy desert. "It's all over." He said. But he then gasped when Zorc appeared through the haze. "He's still alive?!"

* * *

Shadi stood in the crumbling Millennium Puzzle, looking down at the huge crater formed by the battle with Zorc. The Pharaoh's chamber was crumbling away because Yami was regaining his memories.

"The time has finally arrived." He said and held up the Millennium Key and Scale. "I have waited my entire life for this and I know what must be done."

The two items glowed and then they and Shadi turned into a ball of golden light. It shot out over the desert and into the body of Hasan.

In Hasan's body, he stood up.

"With the power of Hasan, I'll protect the Pharaoh." He said and flew up into the sky.

* * *

Zorc stood over Yami.

"We now stand face-to-face for the last time. The light of hope stands against the darkness, and darkness shall prevail. The universe was born without light. All that existed was a vast wasteland of shadows, and though fleeting moments occur in which light attempts to illuminate the darkness, in the end, it is always extinguished. The same holds true for you. A mere flicker whose faint glow has expired." He said.

"You're wrong! There is no darkness without light! It is light that gave life to the world, light that gives hope! And it is light that will defeat you!" Yami cried.

"Let's put that theory to the test." Zorc said and attacked Yami.

But before the attack could hit, Shadi in Hasan's body leapt in front of it.

The attack broke Hasan's mask, revealing Shadi underneath.

"Wha? Shadi!" Yami cried.

"Pharaoh, you must never surrender to the darkness. The light of hope will soon arrive, bearing the information you need." Shadi said before he was destroyed.

"It's exactly as I predicted. Everything will return to darkness, just as it always does." Zorc said. "Look at the mighty Pharaoh now! Bearly standing besides the ruins of what was once your kingdom!"

"This isn't over!" Yami insisted. "The light of hope still burns bright!"

"Your friends have been given over to the Shadows, and your soldiers have deserted you. Yet you speak of hope?" Zorc asked.

"They'll be back." Yami said.

"Open your eyes! Your reign is over!" Zorc cried.

"Never!" Yami shouted before collapsing to the ground.

"Centuries ago, you had the power to lock me away. You seem to have grown weak in your "old age"." Zorc said.

"I…can't die here!" Yami cried.

Zorc prepared a final fireball to destroy Yami, laughing. Yami struggled to his knees. Zorc stood over him, ready to launch his attack.

But then, five lights appeared in the sky, hurtling towards them.

It was Yugi and the others!

"It's not too late!" Yugi cried.

Everyone called to Yami.

Yami looked up at them. "Thank you." He said.

"You should have stayed in your own world!" Zorc snapped and threw the fireball at them.

They managed to dodge it, but realize that there wasn't much time. "Watch out!" Yami cried as he noticed Bakura's robed men riding towards them.

"Great! First the "Lord of Darkness" and now these guys!" Jounouchi cried.

"Yugi, do you have any plans?" Kristen asked.

Yugi frowned and a Duel Disk appeared on his arm.

"With the deck me and the Pharaoh built together, I can blast this creep back to the Shadow Realm!" He said.

"I hope so." Yami said.

"It's time to duel!" Yugi cried and summoned Dark Magician.

"Mahaado is back!" Yami cried.

"I made a vow to protect you at all times." Mahaado said to Yami.

"You're not going in there alone, Yug!" Jounouchi said and summoned Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Honda, Kristen and Anzu followed.

Honda summoned Super Roboyarou.

Anzu summoned Fire Sorcerer.

And Kristen summoned Gemini Elf.

Just then, Bakura's men turned into zombies, which flew towards the gang.

Mahaado and Red-Eyes Black Dragon attacked, blasting the zombies. Super Roboyarou, Gemini Elf, and Fire Sorcerer joined the attack.

But the zombies reappeared and continued to attack.

"What are we gonna do?" Honda asked.

"I don't know." Anzu said.

"Perhaps I can help." A voice said.

Everyone looked over. It's the Dark Magician Girl! She was flying over.

"How…?" Mahaado wondered.

"Someone must have summoned her!" Yugi said.

On the palace balcony, Mana kneeled, working on her magic.

"I have a feeling I know who." Kristen said.

The Dark Magician Girl joined Mahaado.

"Go to the Pharaoh and leave the zombies to us!" Mahaado said to the five.

Yugi and everyone gathered around Yami, who was lying weak on the ground.

"I knew you'd all return." He said. "Thank you." Everyone helped him up.

Zorc prepared another fireball to shoot at the six friends.

Mahaado and the Dark Magician Girl saw him and sent their combined Dark Magic Attacks at Zorc. But Zorc was unaffected. So he threw the fireball at the two magicians, who barely managed to fly out of the way.

Yami's arm was thrown around Jounouchi's neck and he helped him stand.

"Yugi, did you manage to find my name?" Yami asked.

"Yeah." Yugi said hesitantly.

"What is it?" Yami asked.

Zorc laughed. "These humans may have found the location of your real name, but they were unable to read it since it's written in a language unfamiliar to them!" He said.

"Is this true?" Yami asked.

"It…is." Yugi said reluctantly. "We made it through your tomb, and found the name on the back wall. But it was carved in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics."

"Name or no name, I've got some butt to kick!" Jounouchi said and ordered the Red-Eyes Black Dragon to attack Zorc.

Honda ordered his monster to attack as well. But Zorc destroyed both monsters. Jounouchi was left with 1600 life points and Honda was left with 2800.

The two cringed painfully.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asked Jounouchi.

Zorc then destroyed Kristen and Anzu's monsters, leaving Kristen with 1800 life points and Anzu 3000 life points.

"This is a little more painful than dueling back home." Honda said.

"What makes you think that? The fact that we're all doubled over in pain?" Jounouchi asked sarcastically.

"The zombies are back." Yami pointed out.

They surrounded Mahaado and the Dark Magician Girl.

"The fate of the future depends on us." Mahaado said. "And we'll fight to the end!"

Suddenly, another Magician joined the two other magicians and another monster flew over to join the gang.

"'Ey! Where did these guys come from?" Jounouchi asked.

Yami looked at them.

"I don't know the dragon monster…but the other one…that's Cat's Ka!" He exclaimed.

"Guys!"

Everyone turned around to see Cat and Kay running towards them.

"We're here to help out." Kay said. "No matter how obvious that sounded."

"Great to see you all again!" Honda said with a smile.

"Same here." Cat said.

Mahaado, The Dark Magician Girl and Magician's Valkyria combined their strength in their most powerful attack at Zorc. They settled to the ground to wait and see if their attack worked.

But it was revealed as the smoke cleared that Zorc was still standing.

"I'm impervious to all attacks! Including yours!" Zorc said.

"We just blasted Zorc with all our strength! There's nothing more we can do." Mahaado admitted. Zorc then sent flames across the ground towards them.

The fire then consumed the three magicians.

"Pharaoh! I know you will defeat Zorc!" Mahaado cried.

"Farewell!" The Dark Magician Girl said and the three monsters were destroyed.

Yugi cried out as his life points went down to 1500 with the Dark Magician's destruction. Cat also cried out in pain and fell to her knees when her Magician's Valkyria was destroyed. And back at the palace, Mana gasped and fell to the ground.

Zorc stood over the Pharaoh and the others.

"I'll send you all to the Shadows one at a time!" He said and quickly destroyed the remaining monster, Hyozanryu.

"We have to figure out a way to tell the Pharaoh what his name is!" Anzu said as Kay both fell to her knees in pain.

"Nothing can save you now!" Zorc said. "Surrender to the darkness!"

"We're not giving up!" Yugi said. "We'll find a way to tell the Pharaoh his name so he can lock you away!"

"But how?" Yami wondered. He pushed himself up and his cartouche fell out from under his robe.

Anzu spotted it and gasped, remembering giving it to him so he could put his real name on it so he wouldn't forget it again.

"Everyone! Concentrate on those symbols and make them appear on the cartouche!" She said.

"You're right!" Yugi said.

Everyone put their hands together and concentrated on the symbols.

"You've been a nuisance to me long enough!" Zorc cried and prepared to attack again.

Kaiba, who was on the ground not too far off, lifted his head and saw everyone surrounding Yami.

The cartouche began to glow. "It's working!" Yami said.

Everyone continued to concentrate on Yami's name.

"It's too late!" Zorc cried and blasted another fireball at them. But suddenly, Kaiba's ring of Defense appeared, deflecting the blast. Kaiba stood before Zorc, his Duel Disk still on his arm.

As the cartouche glowed, Cat looked down and noticed her's was glowing as well, picking it up, she looked at the back of her cartouche. The hieroglyphics were glowing!

"That's right…Ishizu said his name was on the back of my cartouche!" She gasped.

Furious, Zorc sent a wall of flame at Kaiba. The fire burned through his Ring of Defense and threw Kaiba back. Everyone was engulfed in smoke.

"It's over." Zorc said.

But when the smoke cleared…Yami stood there holding his cartouche. His name was engraved on the cartouche. He held it up.

"It worked!" He said, astonished as it glowed.

"Did it work?" Kristen asked.

"Do you know what your name is?" Yugi asked.

"Yes…" Yami said. "My ancient name has been revealed! I am King Atem!"

Light shined all around him and Zorc recoiled.

Atem's father appeared beside him. "You now have the power to defeat the Dark One." He said.

"How?" Atem asked.

"Call forth the light of the three Egyptian Gods to swallow the darkness." Aknamkanon replied.

Atem then called for the Gods of Egypt to revive.

Suddenly, Yugi's deck started to glow and red, blue and gold lights flew out. The lights flew into the statues of the three Egyptian Gods and the monsters rose again!

"Will they win this time?" Anzu asked.

"Of course!" Honda said.

"Yeah! The Pharaoh knows what to do!" Yugi said.

"The Gods are powerless against me!" Zorc said. "The Pharaoh already tried and failed!"

"There's something I didn't do last time! Merge them together!" Atem said. The three Egyptian Gods joined to form the Creator of Light!

Atem commanded the darkness begone!

The Creator of Light opened her eyes and beams of light flashed out, destroying the zombies and engulfing Zorc.

Zorc tried to grab Atem in his fist, but the beams of light pulled him away. The light shined through him and then…destroyed him.

* * *

**YAY! The final battle is now over! Not only that, but Yami re-discovered his name too! Double YAY!  
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	56. The Final Journey

In the present, Rex and Weevil laid on the ground, along with the broken glass from blown-out windows.

Rex groaned.

"That wasn't…so bad." Weevil said.

"Yeah…other than the TORNADO damage and the LIGHTNING explosions, and the POISONOUS ACID RAIN!" Rex said.

* * *

The Creator of Light loomed over Egypt, bright with golden light.

"Is that is? The big shot, Lord of Darkness is gone?" Honda asked.

"Yup. Thanks to this bigger shot." Jounouchi said.

"We can't forget to thank the Pharaoh…um…" Anzu said, trying to remember his name.

"Atem!" Honda chimed in.

"It'll take a while to get used to that." Jounouchi said.

"It's cool that after all these years, we finally know your real name!" Yugi said.

"It's all thanks to you all." Atem said.

Cat looked at Atem's name on the back of her cartouche.

"And after all this time I've had this…I finally know what the "mysterious" name is." She whispered to herself before looking back at Atem. "And I finally know your real name."

"What's next?" Kay asked.

"I don't know." Atem said. "Wait for the next bad guy?"

"No." The Creator of Light said. "You have conquered the embodiment of evil from which all darkness is borne."

"So…I'm done?" Atem asked.

"Not quite." The Creator of Light answered. "But you're nearly fulfilled your destiny. That's why you returned to this world after three thousand years. So you could rescue your world from the inevitable return of the Shadow Games. Now there is only one task left for you to carry out before your spirit can return to its resting place."

And with that, The Creator of Light faded away.

"_I can hardly believe that my journey is almost complete_." Atem said to himself. "_Does this mean that when I accomplishes my final mission, me and everyone will separate?_"

"It's strange. I finally feel like my old person." He said out loud.

"_Ever since I solved the Millennium Puzzle, the Pharaoh's been sharing an identity with me. But now that he's regained his lost memories, he's ready to be himself._" Yugi thought to himself.

"Anzu, thank you for the cartouche. We couldn't have defeated Zorc without it." Atem said. "And thank you to everyone else. If not for your help, I could have never fulfilled my destiny. You're all heroes."

"Yeah, I was brave!" Jounouchi said with a silly grin.

"The Pharaoh was talking about me!" Honda said to Jounouchi.

"Atem meant everyone." Yugi said. "After all. We're a team!"

"I want to know when you geeks are going to stop giving that lame friendship speech." Kaiba said, walking up to them.

"We'll stop when you stop pretending everything's a magic trick." Honda said to Kaiba.

"You can't deny this one. How do you explain that there are two Yugis standing here?" Jounouchi asked Kaiba.

Kaiba sighed in defeat. "Maybe there is some truth to this junk." He grumbled.

"Did everyone hear what I heard? Kaiba admitted that this is all real!" Jounouchi said.

"Nice try." Kaiba said. "It was all a mind trick."

"Hey!" Jounouchi snapped and turned to the others. "Didn't you hear him?"

"Nope." They all said, laughing.

* * *

The Egyptian people gathered in their ruined land, picking up the rubble and repairing the damage.

Atem stood with Seth on the balcony of the palace.

"The darkness has fallen, but the cost was high. Too many lives were lost." Atem said, remembering Shimon, Karim, Shada, Mahaado and Isis. "And it's not going to be easy, but this kingdom will return to its former glory. And you, Seth, will see to it that it occurs."

"What?" Seth asked, surprised.

Atem turned to Seth. "I will be leaving this world. And you will take the throne." He said.

"B-but! I can't!" Seth protested.

"So let it be written, so let it be done." Atem said.

"After everything we've been through, this kingdom needs a strong leader to move it ahead." Seth said.

"Yes. Who better to lead this new nation than you?" Atem asked and turned to all his friends standing in the courtyard.

"_The truth is, I have no memory beyond this point, so I can no longer exist here._" He thought to himself.

Atem turned back to Seth. "My time is running out." He said and began to turn transparent. "I'll soon join the Pharaohs who came before me, and you will rebuild the land of Egypt. Trust in the light in your soul."

"The light in my soul?" Seth repeated.

Atem handed him the Millennium Puzzle as proof of his right to the throne.

"Seth, please preserve my father's dream and maintain peace in Egypt." He said.

"I will." Seth said with a nod and took the Puzzle as Atem turned completely transparent and walked away.

The spirit Atem joined Yugi and the others and they all stepped off the ground and began to fly back up to the Puzzle in the sky.

Mana waved to them. "I'LL MISS YOU! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!" She called to them.

Seth stood on the balcony, holding the Millennium Rod and Puzzle.

"Farewell…Pharaoh." He said as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared at his side.

* * *

Everyone laid on the ground of the cavern before the stone tablet.

One by one they slowly woke up.

"We're back." Kaiba said.

"I guess it's over." Anzu said.

Cat and Kay looked at themselves. They were back in their original, modern day bodies.

"Huzzah! We're back to our normal selves." Kay said with a smile and petted her short hair. "I think I like my short hair better anyways."

"The tablet must have returned us all back to the present." Kristen said.

"I hope so." Yugi said.

"Are you worried about Atem?" Anzu asked Yugi.

"Is he still stuck in the ancient past?" Jounouchi asked.

Yugi held up the Puzzle.

"Pharaoh? Are you there?" He asked.

The Puzzle glowed and Atem took over. "I'm right here, where I belong." He said.

Everyone nodded and smiled.

"You did it!" Anzu said.

"We all did it, together. Now the darkness unleashed by the Shadow Games so long ago is finally over." Atem said.

Jounouchi put his hands on Atem's shoulders.

"It only took you three thousand years! I'm glad I was there to help!" He said.

"Me too! A guy could get used to this saving the world thing." Honda jumped in.

"Oh? Tell me how getting possessed by an evil spirit was helping?" Jounouchi asked.

"I have no comment on that." Honda said.

"Is that because you nearly destroyed the world as we knew it?" Jounouchi asked.

"It's not like you weren't ever possessed before, Jounouchi." Anzu pointed out. "Remember when you chained Yugi to an anchor and threatened to take over the world?"

"I have no comment on that." Jounouchi said.

As everyone bickered, Atem thought to himself how much he was going to miss them.

Yugi appeared next to Atem in spirit.

"Pharaoh…I mean, Atem…I promise that one day, I'll get used to that name. It's hard to believe that after all these years, you have your memory back." He said.

"And it's thanks to you." Atem said.

Kaiba looked at the Millennium Eye still in his hand. "Yugi. I think you'll be need thing this." He said and threw the Eye to him. Atem caught it and looked down at the Millennium Eye.

Kaiba began to walk away.

"Hey! Where did you get your hands on that?!" Jounouchi asked. "You don't just chuck a Millennium Item at someone and walk away!"

Jounouchi started to run after Kaiba, but just as they both reached the bottom of the stairs, they stopped at the sight of Bakura coming down the steps towards them.

"It's you!" Jounouchi cried and everyone gathered around.

Bakura looked around, confused.

"Where are we?" He asked.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Wait a second. I have a hunch this is the good Bakura." Jounouchi said.

"The last thing I remember is hearing a strange voice and then…" Bakura started but stopped and swayed, and fell into Jounouchi's arms.

"What's wrong?" Atem asked.

"I…need…food." Bakura groaned and then passed out.

"I'm hungry too, but you don't see me passing out!" Jounouchi said.

Honda helped Jounouchi hold Bakura up.

"Yeah, we could all use a bite. After all, it has been three thousand years." He said.

Jounouchi took the Millennium Ring from Bakura and handed it to Atem.

Atem took it. "Now that Zorc has vanished, so has the evil spirit of the Ring. Bakura is finally free." He said.

Jounouchi and Honda carried Bakura up the steps and Anzu, Kay, and Kristen followed to help.

Atem remained in the cavern with Kaiba and Cat.

He noticed two more Millennium Items lying on the floor. The Millennium Key and Millennium Scale.

Atem walked over and picked them up. "Shadi's items will finally be laid to rest. Thank you Shadi." He whispered and stood before the stone tablet.

"_According to the inscription on this tablet, Seth went on to be a great Pharaoh in his own right. He kept my father's dream alive by maintaining peace in Egypt._" He thought to himself. "_Knowing this, my spirit can finally enter its resting place._"

Yugi's spirit appeared beside Atem, hearing this. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I think you know." Atem said and turned to leave.

Kaiba had already went back upstairs but Cat waited for Atem. Atem smiled at her and stopped in front of her.

"Thank you to you too. I saw it." He said.

Cat blinked in confusment. "Saw what?" She asked.

"When everyone was returning my name to me. I saw your cartouche glow." Atem replied and picked up her cartouche, showing her the back. "The "mysterious" name was my real name all along."

Cat blushed. "I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you that before. I guess when everyone was concentrating on the symbols…that was the right time." She said, embarrassed.

"No matter. It still helped save us all in the end." Atem said and lightly touched her cheek before heading back up the stairs.

Cat stood still and blushed brighter.

"B-But…I…didn't do that much." She said.

* * *

"Were you able to recover your lost memories?" Ishizu asked Atem.

"Yes." Atem replied.

"After three thousand years, our family's task is finally complete." Marik said.

"Yes. And the Millennium Items are gathered together at last." Ishizu again.

"And now I must seal them away forever." Atem said. "So I can enter the spirit world."

"You're leaving us?" Anzu asked, upset.

"This is the final task of my mission." Atem replied.

"I guess I always knew." Anzu said sadly. "You came back after all these years so you could regain your memories and save the world, and now that you've done that, you can finally rest."

Marik and Ishizu nodded to each other.

"Me and my brother can lead you to the final resting place of the seven Millennium Items." Ishizu said to Atem.

"Do you mean the Millennium Stone?" Atem asked.

"Yes. The inscription above the stone reads as follows: "To the spirit world thou may proceed, but first thou must complete this deed. Return the Items from whence they came, and speak aloud the Pharaoh's name." Are you ready for the final task?" Ishizu asked.

"Yes." Atem said and switched places with Yugi.

"I'll guide you to the shrine of the spirit world." Ishizu said.

Cat finally made it to the top of the stairs.

Kay and Kristen noticed Cat.

"There you are." Kay said.

"We're all going to leave soon." Kristen said.

"Yes…Ishizu is going to take everyone to the door leading to the afterlife." Kay said.

Cat looked a little sad and smiled a small sad smile.

"Yes…I know." She said.

* * *

They all arrived at the docks of a seaport.

"Couldn't we just fly to this shrine on a plane?" Jounouchi asked.

"The sanctuary can only be reached by boat." Ishizu said.

"We don't want to rush this." Honda said. "It's the last trip we'll ever take with the Pharaoh."

"Since when are you so sappy?" Jounouchi asked.

Honda pointed to Cat and Anzu, who are both looking a little sad.

Jounouchi put on a fake jolly face. "I love boats! Who doesn't love boats?" He said with fake glee.

"Long ago, boats were believed to be the only vessels able to transport spirits to the world beyond. The ancient Egyptians believed that this spirit world existed in the west, where the sun sets." Ishizu said. "And so, the Pharaoh's court ordered the sanctuary to be built on an island west of Egypt."

"AHOY THERE, MATIES!"

Everyone looked to see Grandpa standing on the gangway of the ship with Mokuba and Otogi behind him.

"Climb aboard!" Grandpa said.

Grinning, Yugi took off towards them with everyone behind him.

Mokuba ran past them and leapt onto his brother.

"Seto!" He cried happily.

"We've been bored out of our minds waiting for you." Otogi said to Yugi.

"I didn't know you were coming." Yugi said.

"Ever since you left for Egypt, there's been a voice inside my head asking how could I miss such a momentous event in my grandson's life!" Grandpa said.

"With Grandpa hearing voices in his head, I thought I should come along too." Otogi said. "And when we got there, we ran into Mokuba at the airport."

Mokuba still held onto Kaiba. "My brother left without telling anyone, so me and Roland tracked him down." He said.

"I didn't know I had to report every move I made to my little brother." Kaiba said.

Mokuba grinned.

"You better not do it again! Or I'll take over Kaiba Corp. and make you work for me." He laughed.

"Did you really come all this way just to keep Gramps company?" Jounouchi asked Otogi.

"It's not like anyone invited me, so I invited myself. After everything we've been through it would have been nice to get a phone call." Otogi said.

"I'm sorry. I had a lot going on." Yugi apologized.

"Grandpa filled me in on the flight over, so I understand." Otogi said. "And while we were waiting for you to show up, I took the liberty of explaining to everyone else you forgot to call."

* * *

It was sunset as the ship carried everyone.

Everyone stood at the railing.

"Thanks everyone…for being there." Yugi said.

"Of course!" Kristen said.

"Enough already." Kaiba grumbled.

Kay lightly punched his shoulder.

"Enough already with the bad attitude." She said.

Jounouchi turned to Kaiba.

"Why you still hanging around for anyway?" He asked.

"We have our reasons." Mokuba said and paused, looking at Kaiba. "Um…what are our reasons again?"

Kaiba didn't answer and leaned against the bulkhead.

Yugi turned to Kaiba as well. "Why did you come?" He asked.

"Although he'd never admit it, Kaiba is here for the same reason you're all here. To witness the Pharaoh's final rite of passage." Ishizu said.

"Do Kaiba DOES believe!" Jounouchi said.

"Before we go any further, there's something else you should know." Marik said to Yugi.

"There's another ancient passage inscribed above the Millennium Stone, which mentions a battle ritual."

"A battle?" Yugi asked.

"In order for the Pharaoh to enter the spirit world, he must first face off against a worthy opponent in battle…and lose." Marik explained.

"What kind of battle do you mean?" Jounouchi asked.

"In ancient times, this referred to a battle with swords, but today we duel one another with cards." Marik said.

"A duel!" Yugi exclaimed as Atem stood next to him in spirit.

"Exactly." Atem said. "I must lose in a game of Duel Monsters."

"I don't get what the challenge is in losing a duel." Yugi said.

"Winning is easy for the Pharaoh. But being able to accept defeat is probably the greatest test of his character there is." Otogi pointed out.

"Otogi may have a point. But where will we find a duelist who's good enough to beat the Pharaoh?" Anzu wondered.

* * *

**Ahh...the saddest part in the whole series is coming up. Seriously, whenever I watch the very last episode of Yugioh, I tear up...and almost cry. It's so sad!! D:  
*ahem* Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	57. I Love You

That night, everyone was still standing by the railing.

"This really takes me back. Doesn't it just seem like yesterday we were all on a boat like this headed for Duelist Kingdom?" Jounouchi asked.

"Yeah." Yugi agreed.

"I've come a long way since then, and, given a chance, I could kick the Pharaoh's butt!" Jounouchi said.

Everyone looked surprised.

"I'd like a shot against the Pharaoh." Jounouchi said.

"It's too risky." Yugi said.

"You'd lose." Anzu added in.

"Yeah, there's no chance." Otogi said.

Jounouchi didn't look too happy about the lack of support.

"Someone's gotta beat the Pharaoh! So why not me?" Jounouchi snapped.

Kaiba walked up. "You're a joke." He said to Jounouchi and then look at Yugi as Mokuba came up behind him with his suitcase. "I've been waiting for this moment for years. I'll challenge you to the ultimate duel!"

Yugi only stood there.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Jounouchi jumped in front of Yugi.

"Hey! I was in line first!" He said.

Kaiba only pushed Jounouchi out of the way. "I don't believe in all this ancient Egyptian nonsense, and I never did! But I deserve a shot against Yugi." He said.

Yugi frowned. "You mean the Pharaoh. It does make sense…after all, you and the Pharaoh have had a rivalry going on ever since the Pharaoh showed up in this world." He said.

"Then let's do this." Kaiba said.

"No…I've already decided I'm going to duel the Pharaoh." Yugi said.

Everyone reacted in shock.

"Yug, I don't think you can." Jounouchi said.

"This duel will be a test for me too." Yugi said.

Jounouchi put a hand on Yugi's shoulder.

"You can't play a duel against yourself." Jounouchi said.

"I don't plan to." Yugi said.

Kaiba then angrily grabbed Yugi by the collar and lifted him up.

"I'm not going to stand here and watch you give a title shot to your imaginary friend!" He snapped.

"Kaiba! Drop him!" Jounouchi said.

"Let him go and calm down!" Kay added in.

"This is something I know I need to do! And deep down, you know it too!" Yugi said.

They two stared at each other for a moment before Kaiba let go of Yugi. Yugi held onto this throat and coughed while Kristen and Jounouchi hovered over him.

Kaiba turned to Mokuba. Mokuba nodded and opened the suitcase, revealing hundreds of Duel Monster cards.

"I don't know what kind of stunt you're pulling, but if you're going to be dueling, you may as well build yourself a real deck." Kaiba said to Yugi.

Yugi smiled.

"That's a pretty impressive collection. But I won't be needing it. I'll be sticking with my usual deck. The Pharaoh and I built it together. So it's only fitting I use it." He said.

"That makes sense." Jounouchi said.

"If you want to lose." Kaiba sneered and walked away, muttering about a waste of time. Mokuba closed the suitcase and followed him.

"Enjoy the cruise Kaiba!" Yugi called after him.

Kay sighed. "He's going to be sulking. I'm going to go try to lighten his mood a little." She said and followed Kaiba.

* * *

Anzu walked through the halls, heading to Yugi's room. She turned a hallway and stopped when she saw Cat. Anzu frowned a little.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I was going to check on Yugi to see if he needed anything." Cat replied.

Anzu's frown didn't leave.

"Is that so?" She said and started to walk past Cat.

"Anzu…wait." Cat said.

Anzu stopped and turned around.

"What?" She asked.

Cat turned to her. "I don't know if anyone else noticed...but...I've noticed a few times...that you've glared at me. Ever since Battle City." She said. "Did I...do something wrong? Did I do or say something to upset you? We were starting out as great friends and all of the sudden, you seem angry at me."

Anzu continued to frown as she looked away from Cat.  
"It's nothing." She said.

"No, it's not nothing! Please tell me what's wrong! I don't want it to be this way." Cat insisted.

Anzu didn't reply.

Cat sighed and thought back into the past, trying to figure out why she was angry. She gasped when she realized something. "Are you mad at me...perhaps...because of my connection with the Pharaoh? You...like the Pharaoh, don't you?"

Anzu looked at Cat, surprised.

There was silence between the two before Anzu sighed. "Yes. I guess you can say that." She said and frowned at the ground. "I...can't help but feel a little jealous. I've always wanted to be close to the Pharaoh. But...I can't. It's pretty obvious. He really likes you. Maybe even loves you." She said. "And it's no secret that you have some sort of feelings for him too."

Cat blushed lightly and looked down at her feet. "Things...just happened." She mummered.

Anzu looked back over at Cat, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I guess it's supposed to be this way." She said. "There's no helping it...and I shouldn't be jealous. I shouldn't be mad at you for it either."

Cat glanced back up at Anzu. "Anzu...I'm sorry." She said.

"I should be the one apologizing, Cat. I've had a bitter attitude towards you and it was wrong of me." Anzu said. "I'm sorry. I hope we can continue on being friends."

Cat smiled.

"I hope we can too." She said. Anzu returned the smile. "Should we go visit Yugi together?"

"Sure." Anzu said.

They reached Yugi's room and knocked on the door. Yugi was sitting at the table, going through his cards.

"Come in." He said.

Cat and Anzu walked in.

"Oh, hey guys! What's up?" Yugi asked with a smile.

"As the self-appointed cruise directors, we thought we'd tell you that we arrive tomorrow." Anzu said.

They spotted the cards on the table.

"I see you're getting ready for your duel against the Pharaoh." Cat said.

"Yes. It's like my final gift to him before he leave us forever." Yugi said.

"I get it!" Anzu said, looking upset. "I guess I don't want to see him go."

"I don't either, but it's time for the Pharaoh to move on. Besides, if I win, then it means I'm ready to separate from the Pharaoh too." Yugi said.

"_He's right…but that doesn't make it any easier._" Anzu thought to herself.

"Anzu, are you okay?" Yugi asked.

Anzu put on a smile.

"Everything's great!" She said quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow!" She left.

Cat looked at Yugi sadly.

"I think…she wanted to say goodbye to the Pharaoh." She said.

Yugi looked down at the Millennium Puzzle. "Yeah…sorry Anzu." He said.

Outside, Anzu leaned against the door.

"_I know this is what's best for the Pharaoh. He doesn't belong in this world, and now that he has his memory back, he can finally be free. But…secretly, I keep hoping Yugi will lose, so the Pharaoh has to stay._" She thought to herself as tears streamed down her face.

* * *

Jounouchi was still outside at the railing, alone. Honda and Otogi soon came to join him.

"We've been looking for you." Honda said.

"Are you still down in the dumps about not getting to duel the Pharaoh? You should probably let it go." Otogi said.

"Being on this boat has made me do a lot of thinking about the last few years. A lot has changed since I met the Pharaoh. He taught me that, even if the odds are against you, you have to keep fighting and never give up, no matter what. But there's someone whose life he changed even more." Jounouchi said.

"Yeah…Yugi's." Honda said.

"That's why Yugi needs to be the one to duel the Pharaoh. To see if he's finally ready to be on his won." Jounouchi said.

"You're a lot smarter than you look." Honda said.

"What's that supposed ta mean?" Jounouchi asked, annoyed.

* * *

Dawn lit up the sky and the ship sailed into port.

Atem was working on his own deck after Yugi had finished his.

"It's complete." He said. "I succeeded in building my strongest deck ever. Now the time has come to put it to the test. Yugi, it's time to duel!"

There was a knock on his door.

"Come in." Atem said.

Cat walked in and shut the door behind her. "Morning." She said with a smile and walked up to him. "Are you ready for this? We're almost there."

Atem stood up and nodded.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He said.

"That's great." Cat said and smiled a sad smile.

There was a silence between the two and Atem stared at Cat.

"Ca-" Cat cut him off.

"Atem...even though you taught me Duel Monsters, I've hardly been able to help you. And...I feel like I'm going to miss the chance to repay you." Cat said.

"You've helped me more than you think." Atem said.

"Well…not as much as I wished I could have." Cat said and looked down.

"Cat?" Atem asked.

"I-I'm sorry." Cat said and looked up with tears coming down her face. "I guess…I never…deep down…wanted us to be apart."

Atem's expression softened and Cat laughed lightly as she moved her hands up to wipe her tears. "I'm sorry…I'm crying again. Even though I told myself a million times I wouldn't." She said. "I guess I'm still weak..."

"No. You've become strong, Cat. Whether you see it or not." Atem said. "And it's okay to cry. It makes us stronger."

"Even so...I don't think I'm strong enough to watch you leave." She said. Atem blinked and looked down a little sadly. "If...If I don't say it now...then...I may never get to ever again. Atem...I love you. And I didn't even realize it until we were in the world of your memory."

Atem stared at Cat for a moment before smiling warmly.

"It's bittersweet, isn't it?" He asked. Cat looked up at him, slightly surprised.

Atem stepped towards her and pulled her into a secure embrace. Cat blushed and looked up at him, confused.

"What can I say? I guess love just sneaks up on people's hearts. I love you, Cat." He said. "It took me a while to realize it as well."

New tears came to Cat's eyes and she held onto him tightly, burying her face in his chest. "I'm happy but...you're right...it is bittersweet. Atem...I don't want you to leave." She said, almost choking on her tears.

Atem rested his head on top of hers. "I'm sorry...I really don't want to leave you either. Or anyone else. But...there's nothing we can do." He said.

"I know." Cat sighed.

They were silent for a moment.  
"Cat...there's something I'd like to try. I don't know if I'll ever get this chance again." He said. Cat looked up at him.

"Go on." She said, wondering what he was talking about.

Gently, Atem took Cat's face in both of his hands, wiping away a few tears that continued to flow. Atem tilted her head up, her face still in his hands, and looked Cat in the eyes.

"I will always love you. Even when I'm gone. I'll always be with you." He whispered before he shut his eyes and kissed her.

Not expecting that, Cat blushed brightly, but didn't move. Instead she shut her eyes and leaned into the kiss. After a moment, the two pulled away. But only for a moment, for Atem pulled her into another kiss.

In that small window of time between the kisses, Cat could have sworn that she saw a stray tear run down Atem's face.

* * *

Later in the day, the ship docked and Atem stepped out onto the gangway, surprised to see everyone else already on the dock, waiting for him.

"Let's get this duel on the road!" Jounouchi cried happily.

Atem nodded and started down the gangway.

* * *

Ishizu lead Yugi and everyone through the desert to a trapdoor leading down to the Shrine of the Millennium Stone.

"This duel is going to be awesome!" Honda said as they walked down the steps to the underground cavern.

"Yeah! Yugi versus the Pharaoh is as good as it gets!" Jounouchi agreed while Cat and Anzu didn't look too happy.

Anzu stopped when they reached a landing.

Honda stopped next to her. "What's up?" He asked.

"Do you need to use the little girl's room?" Jounouchi asked.

"Not quite." Anzu said. "I was just wondering why we had to rush into this so soon. This could be our final chance to hang out with the Pharaoh before he leaves us for good."

"That's right…I was so pumped up for the duel, I forgot it might be the Pharaoh's last one." Honda said.

"Yeah." Yugi agreed sadly.

"I know how difficult this must be, but Yugi and the Pharaoh must carry out the battle ritual as quickly as possible. If too much time passes, our window of opportunity will close." Ishizu said.

"Anzu, I know how you feel…but this is what's best for the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh doesn't belong in our world. And now he finally has the chance to go home." Yugi said.

"You're right. So let's do this." Anzu said.

"Anzu, you're one of the bravest people I've ever met. And I just want to say I'm proud." Jounouchi said.

"If you dorks start holding each others hands I'm outta here." Kaiba said. "I didn't come to listen to your lame friendship speeches."

"Maybe if you had some friends, you wouldn't feel that way." Jounouchi said.

Yugi watched, smiling.

"Jounouchi, that was harsh." Honda said.

"Kaiba deserved it!" Jounouchi said.

Kay smacked the back of Jounouchi's head.

"Just shut up, you monkey." She said.

"MONKEY?!" Jounouchi yelled.

"C'mon guys, lets not fight right now." Otogi said.

Jounouchi sighed, claming down.

"Yeah, you're right." He mummered and glared at Kay who only grinned.

"Let's go." Yugi said.

They continued down the steps until they finally reached the cavern where the Millennium Stone lied before a doorway carved with the Eye of Wdjat.

"That's it!" Yugi said. "The resting place of the seven Millennium Items."

Ishizu walked up to the stone and Yugi followed, kneeling before the stone with his bag of Millennium Items. Ishizu kneeled beside him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Before the ritual can begin, the Items must be returned to the Stone from whence they came." She said. "They Eye of Wdjat will then peer into Yugi's soul, thus unraveling the Pharaoh's spirit from Yugi's. If you accept the terms of the ritual, you must place the seven Millennium Items within the stone."

Ishizu stood up.

Yugi nodded and took the Items to the Stone and began placing them in their places.

He placed all the Items in place and then stopped, looking at the Puzzle in his hands, remembering the wish he made on it. His wish did come true. He turned to look at his friends. And turned back to the Puzzle.

"And thanks to the Pharaoh, I'm ready to give it back." Yugi said and placed the Puzzle in the final spot.

The Items began to glow and waves of light flashed around the Stone as Yugi stood before it.

A light shined from the Eye of Wdjat onto Yugi.

"I suppose that's supposed to happen?" Jounouchi asked.

"The Eye is gazing deep within, searching for the spirit that dwells in Yugi's mind." Ishizu explained. Yugi raised his arm, activating his duel disk.

"Once they're separated, the ultimate duel can begin!" Ishizu added in.

Yugi's shadow suddenly separated, showing two distinct figures on the floor.

"What's the deal?" Honda asked.

"The true nature of Yugi's spirit has been revealed." Ishizu said.

And then, Yugi split into two!

"I'm seeing double!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"No…it's the Pharaoh." Grandpa said.

"No way!" Mokuba cried.

"Atem…" Cat mummered.

Atem and Yugi glanced at each other and then turned to walk to opposite sides of the cavern.

"Yugi! Go get 'em!" Honda called. "You too Pharaoh!"

"Which one are we supposed to root for?" Kristen asked.

"If the Pharaoh wins, he can stay, and then we won't have to say goodbye." Anzu said.

"But we've got to root for Yugi." Jounouchi said. "It's the only way to set the Pharaoh's spirit free."

"Your right." Anzu said sadly. "I should want what's best for the Pharaoh…and that's for his spirit to move on. I have to be strong."

"It's time." Marik said.

"The battle to determine their destinies will now begin." Ishizu said.

"They're about to find out who the true King of Games are." Kaiba said and everyone watched.

"Are you ready for this?" Atem asked Yugi.

"That's what we're here to find out." Yugi said.

The duel began.

* * *

**Annnnddd...the final duel is about to begin!  
Yeah, sorry if the chapter seemed a little cheesy...  
But I hope you enjoyed it anyways! See you next chappie! :D**


	58. Goodbye Pharaoh

Atem smiled when he lost the duel.

Yugi fell to his knees, tears spilling onto the ground. Atem walked up to him.

"Congratulations." He said and kneeled down in front of Yugi, putting a hand on his shoulder. "A champion doesn't belong on his knees. You've achieved a great victory for us both."

"I was focusing so hard on playing the game, that I forgot what winning this duel would actually mean." Yugi said, still weeping. "By defeating you, I've sent you away for good!"

"No, you've opened the door for me. Thanks to you, my spirit can finally rest. I'll be back where I belong. Fate brought us together for a reason and we fulfilled our destiny." Atem said.

Yugi looked up at Atem.

"We've protected mankind from the return of the Shadow Games and we've both grown tremendously along the way." Atem continued as they both stood up.

"I'll miss you." Yugi said.

"We'll never truly be apart. The gift of kindness you've given me and the gift of courage I've given you will remain with us forever." Atem said.

The Eye of Wdjat in the doorway began to glow.

"Now that the ritual is complete, the Eye of Wdjat that guards the gate to the spirit world has awakened. And the spirit of the great Pharaoh, which was trapped within the Millennium Puzzle for three thousand years, is now free." Ishizu said.

Cat looked on sadly as tears flowed from her eyes. She had been mostly silent for the majority of the duel.

Atem stood before the door.

"So this is it?" Anzu asked.

"Pharaoh...tell the Eye of Wdjat your name." Ishizu said.

"I am the son of King Aknamkanon. My name is Atem." Atem said.

The door then slid open and light shined through it onto Atem's face. Atem stepped towards the light.

"PHARAOH!"

Atem stopped.

Everyone ran up to him.

"So this is how it ends?! You think you can just show up and change everybody's lives and then just leave?!" Honda protested and covered his eyes with his sleeve to hide his tears.

Yugi wiped his tears with his sleeve. "What Honda means, is that we don't want to say goodbye." He said.

"Yes! I know that walking through that door means your spirit will finally be free and it's all for the best...but it doesn't seem fair! I feel that we were all just getting to know you! In fact, you were just beginning to get to know yourself and now you're being taken away from us!" Anzu cried. "I know we should be happy for it, but it's hard to do when you're losing your best friend and you don't understand why it has to be that way!"

"I guess there are some things we're not supposed to understand. Just look at me. I go through half my life not understanding what's going on!" Jounouchi said and started to cry. "But I know that true friends may be hard to leave, but they're impossible to forget. And even though the Pharaoh's stay wasn't as long as we wanted, we're lucky we even knew him at all!"

"Thank you, Jounouchi." Atem said with a smile and looked over his friends. Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu, Kristen, Kay, Kaiba, Mokuba, Solomon, Otogi, Bakura, Marik, Ishizu...and Cat.

He was really going to miss all of them. He was about to turn back toward the door, until he spotted Cat stepping up to him. The two stared at each other for a moment.

"So...I-I guess...this is it." Cat said quietly.

Atem smiled a little sadly.

"Yes...I suppose it is." He agreed.

There was silence and Atem looked a little reluctant.

"Cat...I'm sorry. If there was any other way, I'd take it in a heartbeat." He said. "I want you to be happy. Even if that means you have to find someone else to love." Cat looked shocked at his words. She shook her head.

"N-No...I...I don't want to." She said. "I...I want to keep these feelings I have for you. Forever. As silly as it may sound."

Atem blinked before smiling warmly. He put his hands on her shoulders. "I understand." He said softly before leaning over and giving her a kiss. Blushing, Cat accepted the kiss.

A lot of the others watched, surprised.

"'Ey...when did this happen?" Jounouchi whispered to Honda.

"I don't know, dude." Honda replied, looking equally confused.

Anzu frowned before sighing, putting her irritation aside.

Kay grinned to herself.

"I knew it." She whispered to herself quietly.

The two pulled back and Atem took Cat's hand. "I love you." He whispered. "And I always will for all eternity."

"I love you for all eternity too." Cat whispered.

"Cat...there's one last request I have." Atem said.

"What is it?" Cat asked.

"When we were in America and trying to find Dartz, I heard you sing. You have a beautiful voice. Do you think you could sing a few lines of a song to me?" Atem asked.

Cat blushed.

"You really did hear that." She mummered before sighing. "I...I guess I could."

Cat closed her eyes and began.

_"It's okay if you don't believe in anyone" you whispered_

_Were the two of us really alike?_

_And I decided then I would protect you_

_Why do I love you so much?_

_Your voice rings inside me so much it makes me sad_

_Just what it was that supported me so much_

_I realize it now from afar_

_Why do I love you so much?_

_It's so easy I just can't answer_

Atem smiled at her.

"Thank you." He said. "I'm glad I got to hear it again."

Cat only looked embarrassed.

Atem gave her one last hug and smile before stepping away, their hands slowly slipping away from each other. Atem walked towards the door again and stopped when Jounouchi spoke up.

"Hey! Pharaoh!" Jounouchi called. "I hate to break the news to ya, but you're not going anywhere! Because everything you've given us is staying right here, in our hearts! Even over thousands of years, you'll always be our friend."

Atem looked over his shoulder at him, smiling. "Right!" He said with a nod.

"Like they always say! "It's your move"!" Yugi said.

Atem gave them all a thumbs up and continued to walk into the light. Everyone watched silently. Just as he stepped through the door, his clothing and appearance changed back to his Ancient Pharaoh self. And beyond him, his friends and family from his past appeared, waiting for him.

The door slowly closed, slamming shut. Atem was gone.

"Goodbye." Yugi said.

All of the sudden, the pillars holding up the chamber began to shake and crumble. No one had time to cry.

"What's that?!" Bakura asked.

"It's an earthquake!" Otogi cried.

"The Millennium Stone!" Yugi cried as he watched dust stream from the stone as it crumbled, falling deep into the ground and taking the Millennium Items with it. "The Millennium Items are gone!"

"We should be gone too!" Jounouchi cried.

Everyone ran to the stairway as the walls cracked and the pillars crumbled. At the rear of the cavern, in front of the door when Atem left, stood the spirit of Shadi. Everyone gathered outside the underground cavern and watched the dust settle.

"Now that the Pharaoh has returned to the next world, the Millennium Items have been permanently sealed. And our duty as the Pharaoh's tombkeepers is finally complete." Ishizu said.

"So this is the end?" Honda asked. "It feels weird."

"Yeah." Kristen agreed.

"What were you geeks expecting?" Kaiba asked.

"Well, I was hoping for fireworks, sappy music...something!" Jounouchi said. "Yug, at least make one of your little wrap-up speeches!"

"Sometimes the end of one adventure is just he beginning of another." Yugi said.

"Much better." Jounouchi said as everyone looked up at the sky.

* * *

_After that experience...I learned that those dreams I had...the things that grandma told me before she died...they were all true in a sense. But...I would have never imagined...that everything would end just as it began. Yugi doesn't believe it's like that, but it's hard. So hard...to believe otherwise._

_Especially right now._

---

Five days had passed since Atem returned to the afterlife. Everything seemed to go back to the way it was. Even though everyone was cheerful, in the back of their minds, they knew that small piece was missing. And that things would never be the same again.

Birds chirped outside the balcony window as Cat stared down at the cup of warm tea she had on the short table in front of her. She was fiddling with the sides of the cup. It was morning and she was dressed in her school uniform, ready to go to school. The only thing she hadn't done was put her hair into it's usual ponytail and put on her shoes.

She continued to stare at the tea in her cup. Sighing, she briefly wondered if things would get better.

For the past four nights, Atem showed up constantly in her dreams and she would wake up with her face soaked in tears. She missed him so much.

She sighed again and looked out the sliding glass doors, which led to the balcony, next to her.

"I wonder...if he really is still with me like he promised." She whispered to herself before she stood up and walked to her bedroom to put her hair into a ponytail. Once she did that, she grabbed her stuff, put on her shoes and left for school. Her silver cartouche glistened a little in the morning light.

* * *

"Y'know...things just don't seem right anymore." Jounouchi said, leaning back into his chair. "I've gotten so used to saving the world, peace just seems weird now!"

"I know what you mean." Honda said, leaning on his desk with his head in his hand. "It almost seems...dull now."

The group of friends had gathered before class started.

"But it's still nice in a way." Anzu said.

"I guess. But I'm still gonna miss the whole "saving the world" deal." Jounouchi said.

"You know, that reminds me...where's Yugi?" Anzu asked.

The three turned and look at Kay when she snickered.

"What's so funny?" Honda asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just think I know where Yugi is." Kay answered simply, doodling on her notebook. The other three looked at each other, confused.

Just then, the classroom sliding door slid open and two people stepped in. Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu gasped.

"Kristen! What are you doing here?" Anzu asked.

Yugi and Kristen walked up to the four, smiling. Kristen was now in a female Domino High School uniform.

"My parents were thinking of moving to Japan even before I came to visit. I got a call from them before we left for Egypt. They had decided to move to Japan and I convinced them to move to Domino City." Kristen explained. "So we did."

"Alright! Looks like you're stuck with us!" Jounouchi said happily with a big grin.

Kristen and Yugi sat next to Kay. While Yugi was distracted by his other friends, Kay looked at Kristen.

"I saw it." She said.

Kristen blinked.

"Saw what?" She asked.

"The confession. This morning when I arrived at school, you and Yugi were talking and blushing." Kay said with a sly look. "After that you two walked off, holding hands. It was very sweet, Ki-Ki." Kay batted her eyes all sappy-like.

Kristen immediately turned red.

"Y-Y-Y-You...K-Kay! You were spying on us?!" She cried.

Kay pretended to be shocked, putting a hand to her chest.

"What?! Me?! Spy on you two?! I'm shocked that you would even think that! Shocked and hurt!" She said dramatically.

Kristen frowned at Kay and Kay started to laugh.

"There's no need to get upset about it. I'm happy for you two." Kay said, patting her friend's shoulder.

Kristen huffed slightly and looked around. Her frown disappeared. "Cat's not here today?" She asked.  
Kay blinked.

"I don't know. She's either not here today or she's running late." She said before resting her head in her hand. "Although, if she is skipping school, I can understand why she wants to be alone right now."

Kristen nodded slowly.

"Yeah." She mummered.

Before anything else could be said, the sliding door opened again and Cat stepped in. Her friends looked over at her and smiled.

"Hey! Cat! You're later than usual!" Jounouchi called, waving her over.

Cat smiled and walked up to them. "Yeah, sorry about that. I slept in a little." She said, sitting down with them.

Kay and Kristen looked at each other sadly.

* * *

"The days just seem to drag on, really." Cat said, holding the phone up to her ear.

"Really? I'm sorry Cat."

It was Kay. They were chatting on the phone.

"Me and Ki-Ki were a little worried about you during school. I know you're trying hard to hide your depression."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be okay." Cat said, laughing weakly.

"Well...tomorrow is Sunday. So there's no school. Did you want to go and hang out somewhere? We could do something fun." Kay suggested.

"Um...well...I actually have some homework to do tomorrow, so I can't. Thank you for the offer though."

"No problem. We'll hang out another time. Maybe after school." Kay said. "Anyways, I'm falling asleep here. So I'm gonna go to bed, okay? I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye Kay."

"Bye."

The two hung up and Cat sat the phone back where it belonged.

It was almost time for her to head to bed as well.

After she changed into her PJ's, she grabbed her music player and laid in bed, listening to it.

A little while later, a song she was very familiar with started to play. _Eternal Snow._

_Like snow, but quietly_

_It continues to pile up_

_Hold me tight if I think like this_

_I didn't want to know_

_What it was like to fall in love with someone_

_I love you; my tears won't stop_

_Therefore, I should be free of you_

_How long will I keep thinking of you?_

_My sigh makes the window glass fog up_

_Now, a burning candle_

_Can't melt my shaking heart anymore?_

_If there were an eternally falling snow_

_This feeling I have for you, could I hide it?_

_I miss you everytime I think of you_

_Hold me tight if I think like this_

_I didn't want to know_

_What it was like to fall in love with someone_

_I love you; my chest fills up_

_I want to cry out to the winter sky_

_I want to see you now_

Those lyrics rang in her head.

Cat bit her lip hard as she felt tears well up in her eyes.

And even though the weather was warm, her room suddenly felt cold.

* * *

"Is your friend still depressed?"

Kay stopped and the door and looked back at Kaiba who was at his desk, typing on his computer.

"Well that was a random question." She said.

"Not really. You were mummering about it earlier." Kaiba said, not removing his eyes from the screen.

It was Sunday afternoon and Kay had helped out Kaiba at his office all morning. She was about to go hang out with Kristen and Yugi.

"Hmph...if you're going to talk about Cat, could you not talk in such an emotionless tone?" Kay asked before sighing and walking back to his desk, sitting down. "Yes, she's still depressed. I wish I could help, but nothing seems to be working. Everyone else is worried too."

"What happened that day couldn't be helped. Cat needs to find the strength to move on." Kaiba said, still staring at his computer and typing.

Kay rested her head in her hand and frowned a little.

"Yeah...I guess." She mummered. "But...I keep thinking...how would it feel if I was in Cat's shoes? If someone I loved dearly left for all eternity?" Kaiba stopped typing and looked at Kay.

Kay glanced up at him. "What about you? How do you think you would feel?" She asked.

Kaiba looked a little speechless for a moment. Unsure of how to respond to the question. "W-Well...what's the feeling your thinking of?" He asked.

"A sadness and pain that can't be described." Kay replied, looking thoughtful. "I don't think I can even imagine the feeling if I lost you like that. It...would be crushing." Kay gasped, catching herself. "B-But you know what I mean!"

Kaiba blinked before smiling a small smile. "Yes, I get it." He said. "I won't go anywhere if you don't." Kay blushed. He caught it.

* * *

"Whew...dishes are clean." Cat said, putting her hands on her hips. She had just finished dinner.

She glanced outside the window and sighed. Sunset. Time just seemed to go on and on in a strange way.

Cat was about to head to the living room until a sudden knock on her door startled her. She blinked and walked to her door, opening it.

"Cat!" A woman immediately hugged Cat tightly. "Ooh, my baby girl, I'm so happy to see you again!"

Cat blinked in surprised.

"M-Mom?" She asked.

The woman pulled back and smiled at her. This was Cat's mother, Serenity Tsuru. Cat looked similar to her mother.

Her mother had the same color of skin, hair and eyes.

Serenity's hairstyle was a little different though. She had similar bangs to Cat's but they were a little different. And her hair was long, but she always left it down and the ends of her hair, except for her bangs, was blunt cut.

Serenity was slightly taller than her daughter and was wearing a white, long sleeved shirt with tight, black pants and black shoes. She looked young for her age and was the American side of the family, originally born in America.

"It's good to see you're doing okay, Cat." A man said, stepping from behind Serenity.

Cat looked at the man. "Dad..."

Sabaku Tsuru, Cat's father. He looked older, but not old enough for gray hair. Instead, he had jet black hair and narrow, brown eyes. His bangs were long and ended below his chin. The rest of his hair was short.

On his face, he wore think rimmed, black glasses. He had a more serious and professional business air around him. He wore a white, button up shirt with a black tie, a black belt, black pants and black shoes.

He was the Japanese side of the family, originally born in Japan.

"Cat, you look a little depressed!" Serenity said before looking at her husband. "I told you it wasn't a good idea to send her here alone! She must have been so lonely!"

"N-No mom...I'm fine. I'm not lonely. I've made friends here." Cat explained.

"You did? That's really good to hear." Sabaku said, smiling a little. "But..."

"But we came by to take you home." Serenity finished his sentence.

Cat blinked.

"Wh...What?" She asked.

"We found a nice house nearby your grandparents. We can all live together again!" Serenity said.

* * *

**Ah, this chapter was kinda depressing, wasn't it?  
Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyways! See you next chappie! :D**


	59. To See You Again

"I'm not going..."

Sabaku and Serenity looked surprised.

"What?" Serenity asked.

"I'm not going." Cat repeated. "I really like it here."

"Cat, you have to come with us. Your mother and I already feel like horrible parents for sending you to another country by yourself." Sabaku said. "We'll be moving to the same city as my parents, so we'll still be in Japan."

"But...they still live far away from this city." Cat pointed out. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to leave. I don't mind living alone either."

"But we mind, Cat!" Serenity protested. "Even though we didn't have much of a choice, we still shouldn't have sent you here by yourself. We can make it up to you now!"

Cat shook her head. "There's nothing to make up for. I love you both very much. And I'm not bothered by the fact you sent me here by myself. I...I've made a lot of amazing friends...and I've experienced life changing events with them." She explained.

Sabaku and Serenity looked at each other, worried, before looking back at Cat.  
"They aren't being a bad influence, are they?" Sabaku asked.

"No...they're very good and kind people." Cat answered. "So...please...let me stay. If you guys can't pay for my apartment anymore, I'll get a job. It's no big deal."

"Cat...I'm not comfortable with leaving you here by yourself." Serenity said calmly.

Sabaku was in thought for a while. He turned to his wife.

"Serenity...I think we should let Cat stay here." He said.

Serenity looked shocked. "What?!" She gasped.

"Think about it. It's hard for Cat to make friends. And she's made a group of friends here that she really likes. It wouldn't be fair if we made her leave them." Sabaku explained. "We already made her leave her other friends back in America. Besides...I think it's obvious that Cat can take care of herself now."

Serenity calmed down a little.

"Th-That's true..." She said quietly and sighed. "Alright. She can stay."

Cat smiled.

"We'll continue to pay for your apartment, so don't worry about that. But I would suggest looking for a part time job sometime in the future soon." Sabaku said.

"And we'll be around to visit at least once a week." Serenity added in. "And I will expect a daily call."

Cat nodded.

"Right." She said.

Serenity hugged Cat and kissed the top of her head. "You're really growing up. I'm not ready to let you go." She said.

"I'll be here, mom." Cat said, hugging her back.

Once Serenity pulled away, Sabaku came up and hugged Cat. "You better take good care of yourself and be safe." He said.

"I will. I promise." Cat said, hugging him back as well.

* * *

"WHAT?! MOVING?! Woman you'd better not be moving or I'll ki-"

"Kay...Cat didn't finish her sentence." Kristen jumped in.

Kay looked at Kristen before looking back at Cat.

"Oh..." She said and calmed down. "Go on."

Cat sweatdropped.

It was Monday and everyone had sat down together for lunch at school.

"Um...a-anyways...my parents wanted me to move in with them, but I declined their offer." She explained. "I like it here too much. And I have you guys. What more reason do I need to want to stay?"

"But Cat...don't you think you should have? I'm not saying that we want you to leave...because we really, really don't want you to. I was just thinking that maybe it would have been a good escape for you. Doesn't Domino and all of us...remind you too much?" Yugi asked.

Cat blinked in surprise before putting on a small smile.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine." She laughed weakly. "If I moved away, I know it would make me unhappy."

Yugi and the others looked at her sadly.

Cat smiled at them. "Really guys. Stop worrying about me." She said. "I'm okay."

Kay frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't believe you." She said bluntly.

Cat sighed.

"Believe whatever you'd like." She said. "But I'm okay. I have all of you guys."

"Yeah! How could you not be fine when you're friends with someone like yours truly?" Jounouchi said, grinning proudly and sticking his chest out.

Everyone sweatdropped.

"I dunno. Cat might be better off not being friends with you." Anzu said.

"HEY!" Jounouchi snapped.

"Anzu's got a point, Jounouchi." Honda laughed jokingly.

Jounouchi sighed and sulked.

"Aww, I get no respect! Ever!" He whimpered.

Cat smiled. "Don't worry. I think you're a great friend, Jounouchi." She said.

Jounouchi glared at Anzu and Honda.  
"Well at least SOMEONE thinks so!" He growled.

"I think you are too." Yugi said.

"Hey now...let's not raise his ego and give him a big head. His head is big enough." Kay mummered, grinning. Jounouchi glared at her.

"Hey Cat. We were all thinking about playing Duel Monsters after school. Want to join us?" Yugi asked.

Cat thought for a moment.

"Sure, why not?" She replied.

* * *

Evening.

Cat sighed as she stepped into her apartment and leaned on the door, shutting it. She had returned from Yugi's house. They had all played Duel Monsters as planned and Cat had her share of wins and losses.

"I really wish they'd stop worrying about me." She mummered to herself, taking off her shoes, leaving them at the doorstep and putting her stuff away. "I'm trying to be cheerful for them."

Grabbing herself some juice, she looked out her kitchen window at the lights of Domino City. She thought it was strange...how quickly things returned to normal. It was almost as if Atem was never here. Well...Cat and her friends still missed him a lot. Cat figured it was the way he left, when he entered the after life. When he left, the cavern sealed the Millennium Items away. The Ancient Egypt exhibit at the Domino museum was gone and the world was no longer in danger.

It was hard to explain.

The only proof of Atem's existence was Cat's memory, her friends, her cartouche and her feelings for him. Although someone probably had a video or picture of him somewhere.

She had heard that Battle City was recorded and was being sold on a DVD. The same with Duelist Kingdom.

"_I wonder if Atem was any different in Duelist Kingdom? I'd like to see it._" Cat thought to herself, looking down at the floor before looking up in realization. "_W-Wait...both tournaments are on DVD! The video and game stores shouldn't be closed yet. I can go out and buy them._"

Making her decision, she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. She stopped when the phone rang.

Walking over to the phone, she picked it up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey Cat! Are you free Sunday?"

Cat blinked. It was Kay.

"I guess...why do you ask?" She replied.

"Excellent! Well, I heard Ki-Ki and Yugi are planning on going on a date this Sunday and I wanted to check it out. So you should come with me." Kay snickered.

"K-Kay! You want to spy on them?!" She cried, sweatdropping. "Wait...Yugi and Kristen are dating?"

"Yup. I guess so. They confessed last week. I stumbled upon it on accident." Kay explained before snickering again. "I always knew they'd get together someday."

"Hmm. I see. I'm happy for them." Cat said. "But...I don't think it would be very nice to spy on them."

"It'll be fine! You have to come with me, okay? Even if I have to come to your apartment and drag you by force." Kay said.

Cat sighed.

"You're really not giving me any choice in the matter, are you?"

"Nope."

"Fine. I still don't think it's a good idea, but I'll go."

"Great! That's all I wanted to ask."

"Alright. I guess I'll go then. I was about to head out before you called."

"Oh? Where are you going at this time of night?"

"A video store or game shop."

"Why there?"

"Well...I heard a little while ago that the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City tournament was recorded and put on DVD. So...I as going to buy them."

"How co-...Oh."

"Y-Yeah."

"Are you sure Cat? Wouldn't it hurt you to watch those?"

"No...I don't think so. Even if it's only in video, I want to hear him again. Besides, I wasn't around when Duelist Kingdom took place, so I'd like to see that tournament."

"I'm worried about you, you know that?"

"Why? I'm all right."

"No, you're not. I know you're hurting, Cat. After something like that, there's no way you wouldn't be in pain."

"Kay..."

"There's no need to deny it."

"I know...but...I'm trying to be cheerful for everyone else. Someday, I won't be as sad about it anymore. Until then, I want to be cheerful for the others."

"I understand. But don't be afraid to cry in front of everyone if you need to."

"It's fine. I don't need to bother the others with my depression."

"I'm sure they still want you to be honest with your feelings."

"I know. Um...do you think we can talk about this later?"

"If you want to."

"Thanks...anyways, I'll talk to you tomorrow, Kay."

"Alright. See you tomorrow Cat."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Cat hung up, putting the phone back where it belonged. She returned to the door, put on her shoes and left.

* * *

"Too bad we can't hang out today." Honda said.

"Yeah. I'm going visit Shizuka and try to be home by tonight." Jounouchi said.

Honda grinned.

"Surely you need someone to go with you, Jounouchi." He said.

Jounouchi glared at him.

"Back off." He said.

"I have to help Grandpa with the shop today." Yugi said.

"I have homework." Kristen sighed.

"Me too." Anzu agreed.

"Seto needs my help at Kaiba Corp. today." Kay said, rubbing her forehead.

"And I have nothing to do!" Honda complained.

"What about you, Cat?" Yugi asked.

"Huh? Oh, um...I was going to finish watching my new DVD's today." Cat replied.

"I thought you would have watched them last night." Kay said.

Cat smiled weakly.

"Well...it was late and I fell asleep halfway through the second part of Battle City." She said.

Anzu blinked. "Battle City?" She asked.

"You bought the Battle City DVD?" Yugi asked.

"Yes. And I bought the Duelist Kingdom one as well." Cat said.

Jounouchi looked a little concerned.

"Are you really okay with that Cat?" He asked.

Cat nodded. "Yup." She said, smiling.

Jounouchi sighed. "If you say so." He mummered.

The group of friends reached the school gates.

"Well, see you guys later!" Yugi said.

Everyone waved and said their goodbyes before heading their separate ways.

* * *

_"Hold it! You activated my trap card!"_

_"What?!"_

Cat smiled. She was currently watching the Duelist Kingdom DVD and it was on one of Atem's duels.

"Heh, he wasn't much different in Duelist Kingdom." She said to herself. "And I guess this is where Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu met a lot of people that I first met in Battle City. Mai, Weevil, Rex, Mako..."

She continued to watch the video some more.

"Huh...the rules for Duel Monsters were different here. Kay's uncle was the one hosting this tournament too."

After a while longer of watching it, she sighed. "I wish I could have been there to see all of this. Oh well. I heard Yugi mention that this tournament was a battle that included the Millennium Items. I'll have to ask him for the whole story someday."

Atem's duel was finished and Cat's eyes saddened a little.

"_I want to see you again..._"

* * *

The week passed by quickly and the weekend was already here. Sunday.

"I...still can't believe I let you talk me into this." Cat mummered, wearing a hat that hid her hair except for her bangs, a buttoned up trenchcoat, gloves and large sunglasses.

Kay grinned. She was wearing the same thing as Cat.

"Don't worry. Think of it this way. We're just here in case something goes wrong." She said.

Cat sweatdropped.

"I don't think I'm buying it...is this sort of thing even legal?"

Kay shrugged and peeked around the tree and bushes they were hiding behind. They were currently in Domino Park. Cat looked around nervously. "People are starting to stare suspiciously..." She mummered.

"Ah-ha! Get ready Cat! There's the two lovebirds!" Kay said, pulling out a camera from the pocket of her trenchcoat.

Yugi and Kristen were wearing casual clothes. Yugi wore a pale green, short-sleeved hoodie with a pocket on the front, blue jeans and tennis shoes.

Kristen was wearing a white, short skirt, white sandals, a white tangtop with a purple, short-sleeved, short jacket over it, a few bracelets and her purple choker.

Cat's eyes widened at the camera. "Y-You even brought a camera?!" She cried.

Kay looked at Cat innocently.  
"Of course. Pictures like these have all sorts of uses." She replied.

Cat's eye twitched.

"I-I...don't believe this." She mummered.

"You'll get used to it." Kay said, turning her attention back to Kristen and Yugi, who were beginning to walk off. "Alright! Let's go!" Kay stood up and grabbed Cat's arm, tugging her along while following Kristen and Yugi.

* * *

Around noon, Kay and Cat found themselves in a restaurant.

"Ha, a place that serves burgers. How predictable of Yugi." Kay said, grinning. They were sitting at a table that had a good view of Yugi and Kristen while having a good chance of remaining hidden.

Kay snapped another quick picture of the two talking and Kristen blushing at one of Yugi's comments.

"How many pictures does that make?" Cat asked, resting her head in her hand.

"About fifteen." Kay answered. "The more pictures there are, the more likely of a chance that there will be a gem in there."

"Ah-ha." Cat mummered.

Suddenly, Kristen started to look around with a nervous look.  
"What's up with Kristen?" Cat asked.

"I dunno." Kay replied and tried to listen to what they were saying.

"What's wrong, Kristen?" Yugi asked, looking confused.

Kristen glanced around the area.

"I just have a bad feeling...that we're being watched." She replied.

Yugi blinked and looked around for himself, still looking confused. He looked back at Kristen.

"Why do you think that?" He asked.

"Well...if I know Kay...she's probably spying on us." Kristen replied.

Kay and Cat twitched, stiffening up a little.

Yugi raised his eyebrow. "Kay would do that?" He asked.

Kristen nodded.

"She's always been like that." She said. "And she probably made Cat come with her."

Kay and Cat twitched again, sweating. They looked at each other.

"It's almost as if Kristen knows about what we're doing." Cat whispered.

"I know what you mean. We'll have to be extra careful." Kay whispered back.

Yugi thought for a moment. "I don't think Kay even knows about our date." He said. "Did you tell her? Because I don't remember saying anything to her."

"It doesn't matter if anyone told her or not. She has ways of finding these things out." Kristen said.

Yugi looked around the room again.

"I don't see her...or any of our friends." He said and smiled at Kristen. "I think we're fine."

"I...guess." Kristen said hesitantly before sighing. "Well, whatever happens, happens. I don't want to be paranoid this whole time."

Yugi smiled again. "Right." He said. "Let's have fun today."

* * *

It was near the end of the day and Kay and Cat followed Yugi and Kristen to the park. It was sunset.

Cat leaned against a tree, sighing tiredly.

"I'm...tired." She mummered.

"Me too. But hang in there! The date's almost over!" Kay said, camera still in hand.

"Thank you so much for today Yugi. I had a lot of fun." Kristen said, holding Yugi's hand.

Yugi smiled sweetly at her.

"No problem. I had a lot of fun too." He said.

"Well then...I guess I should go." Kristen said, smiling a little. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Um, yeah." Yugi said.

Kristen let go of his hand and started to walk away.

"Uh, Kristen? Hold up a minute." Yugi said, stopping her.

Kristen stopped and turned around. "What is it?" She asked.

Yugi blushed a little as he stepped up to Kristen and kissed her cheek.

"OHMAGOSHYES!" Kay blurted out and snapped a photo. "YESYESYES!"

Cat jumped at Kay's sudden outburst. She looked at her friend, looking a little startled, her eyes wide. "Try adding spaces to your sentences!" She said.

Kristen blushed as well when Yugi pulled away.

"Well...see you tomorrow then." He said, smiling shyly.

"O-Okay...see you tomorrow." Kristen said quietly.

The two went their separate ways.

"There's my gem!" Kay said gleefully. "Man, I've got to get this picture printed tonight!"

Cat sweatdropped.  
"And what do you plan on doing with that photo?" She asked. "Dare I ask?"

Kay grinned slyly. "You'll see." She replied.

* * *

Everyone was gathered around their usual desks. Class hadn't started yet. Everyone was there except Kay.

"Kay's unusually late today. I wonder where she is." Anzu wondered out loud.

Cat cringed a little.

"_I think I have an idea..._" She thought to herself.

A few minutes later, the sliding door to the classroom slid open and Kay stepped in, smiling almost proudly. She joined her friends.

"Good morning Kay!" Everyone greeted.

"Hey guys." Kay said, sitting down with everyone. "What's up?"

"We were just talking about our weekends." Jounouchi said.

"Hm. Funny you should mention that." Kay said.

Cat looked over at Kay nervously.

"_Is she really...?_" She asked herself in her mind.

Kay pulled something out of her bag. "Because I know what a couple certain someones were doing yesterday." She said, holding up the photo. "Tah-dah!" It was the photo of Yugi kissing Kristen on the cheek.

Seeing the photo, Yugi and Kristen's faces turned completely red. Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu stared at it, surprised.

"Whoa! Check that out!" Jounouchi said and grinned at Yugi. "You really do have it in ya!"

Cat held her face in her hand, sweatdropping.  
"_She did._" She thought to herself.

"I-I knew it! I knew I had something to worry about!" Kristen cried and tried to snatch the photo from Kay.

"You really were watching us." Yugi mummered, looking very embarrassed.

Kay held the photo away from Kristen's reach.

"Of course! How could I miss that opportunity?" She said, grinning. "If you ask nicely, I'll make you two a copy."

Kristen continued to reach for the photo.

"KAY!"

* * *

**Yay! Another chapter! :D**

**Hopefully, this one wasn't as depressing as the last. But theres a lot of things going on in this chapter too. lol Also, I got the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City DVDs idea from a Yugioh GX manga chapter.**

**Also, there probably won't be another double update for a while. I've caught up with my pre-written chappies and I'm not following the YuGiOh storyline anymore since its over. I'm thinking up original stuff. Which is harder lol.  
**

**Anyways I don't have much time to be on at the moment, so I'm gonna go for now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D  
**


	60. A Taste of the Fancy Life

"Wow...you actually came to school today?"

"You have a problem with that?"

Kaiba stared coldly at Yugi, Jounouchi, Cat, Honda, Kristen, and Anzu.

The six sweatdropped. "Nope. Not at all." Anzu said.

Just then, Kay burst into the classroom. She looked very excited. "Guys! Guys! You won't believe it!" She cried happily and ran up to them before stopping when she spotted Kaiba. "Whoa...Seto, you came to school today?! I'm surprised."

"You're not the first." Kaiba mummered, reading a book, looking like he had heard it all before.

"Right then." Kay said before putting on her excited face again. "Anyways, I recieved great news this morning!"

"What is it?" Cat asked.

"Uncle Pegasus is coming to visit Domino in three days! And he's holding a party here!" Kay explained, grinning happily. "He wants me to attend and he said I'm allowed to bring you all with me!"

"R-Really?! One of Pegasus' parties?!" Anzu asked, surprised.

"Whoa! I'll be he has a huge buffet there!" Jounouchi said, grinning. Honda nodded, looking hungry.

"I'll bet that would be quite the fancy party." Yugi said.

"Yeah...we probably wouldn't fit in." Kristen said, smiling weakly.

"Psh, don't worry about that." Kay said. "They are fancy, but there's all kinds of people there. I doubt you would stand out. Well...Jounouchi and Honda might stand out."

"Hey!" Jounouchi and Honda cried at the same time.

"It sounds like a lot of fun." Cat said, smiling.

Kay turned to Kaiba and poked his cheek gently. "You're invited too. Uncle Pegasus actually wants you there." She said, grinning.

Kaiba frowned.

"Oh joy." He said sarcastically.

"So you're all gonna come, right?" Kay asked.

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.

"I'm all up for it! Especially the food!" Jounouchi said, drooling a little.

"Same here!" Honda agreed.

"Ugh. Always obsessed with food." Anzu said, frowning a little.

"Make sure to wear something formal and fancy." Kay reminded them. "The party is in three days at 7:00 pm!"

* * *

The party was going to be during a school break. Everyone liked it better that way anyways. It was the noon of the day of the party.

"Thanks for coming with me, Cat." Kay said as the two walked through the Domino airport. "You're probably the only one out of all our friends that hasn't met my uncle yet."

"No problem. I was hoping I could meet your uncle sometime. I've only seen Pegasus through a video, a hologram and as a mirror knight." Cat said, recalling the events from when they were dealing with Dartz.

Kay laughed.

"That's true. He's a really nice guy, I think you'll like him." She said as they stopped in one of the hallways. "He should be coming from that door, so we'll wait here until he comes." Kay pointed at a large doorway before she sat in a nearby chair with Cat next to her.

"So...Kay...speaking of Pegasus, there was a few things I wanted to ask you." Cat said.

Kay looked over at Cat.  
"What is it?" She asked.

"I watched that Duelist Kingdom DVD. He seemed..." Cat tried to find the right word.

"I know what you're saying." Kay said, looking down at her lap. "Yeah...something happened to Uncle Pegasus during that time. I don't know the complete story because I was away while Duelist Kingdom was going on. But Yugi and Uncle Pegasus told me a little bit about it."

Cat listened politely.

"Uncle...he...well...it kind of all started with Aunt Cecilia. She died shortly after she married Uncle Pegasus. My Uncle had been in love with her since they were young and when she died, it was completely heartbreaking for him." Kay explained. "He desperately wanted to bring her back, so he traveled to Egypt, thinking that the ancient Egyptian belief could help him. He ran into Shadi there and that's when Uncle Pegasus received the Millennium Eye. I feel bad for him...his eye was replaced with the Millennium Eye right then and there. It must have been painful."

Cat winced. "It sounds very painful." She agreed.

Kay nodded. "Anyways, the Millennium Eye gave him powers. He could read people's minds and see things that other people couldn't. He learned more about the Millennium Item's and their magic later on and also learned about Kaiba Corp's virtual technology. He believed that if he could combine the two, he could bring back Aunt Cecilia." She continued. "That's why he arranged the Duelist Kingdom tournament. He wanted to gather the Millennium Items. So when he invited Yugi to the tournament, he was after his Millennium Puzzle. While that was going on, he was planning on taking over Kaiba Corp. and kidnapped Mokie." Kay looked a little sad. "Uncle Pegasus...he was so different during that time. I noticed a little the last time I saw him before I left for a while, but over all, I didn't think too much of it."

"I'm sorry Kay." Cat mummered.

"No, it's fine. He's back to normal now anyways. And that's all that matters." Kay said, smiling.

"What about your little sister? Wasn't she still with your uncle at that time?" Cat asked.

"No, she was staying at one of my Uncle's friends' place elsewhere." Kay said. "I guess Uncle Pegasus didn't want her to see what he was doing at Duelist Kingdom."

"I see." Cat mummered.

"Anyways. A lot of intense things happened at Duelist Kingdom. Something that bugs me is that Uncle Pegasus forced Yugi to join the tournament by kidnapping Mr. Motou's soul. At least Uncle Pegasus is sorry about that." Kay said. "Taking other people's souls was one of his other powers."

"How did Pegasus kidnap Mr. Motou's soul?" Cat asked.

"I'm not completely sure myself. But...remember when we were dealing with Dartz and Uncle Pegasus sent us a package with a video tape? And everyone freaked out when they found out it was from Uncle Pegasus? Well...apparently, that's how Uncle Pegasus took Mr. Motou's soul when they first met. Uncle Pegasus sent them a package with an invitation to Duelist Kingdom and a video tape message. Although with the help of the Millennium Eye, Uncle Pegasus was able to talk to Yugi through the tape and forced him into a Shadow Game. Yugi lost the duel and Uncle Pegasus took Mr. Motou's soul." Kay explained. "I guess that's how it happened."

"I see...no wonder everyone freaked out when we got that package from Pegasus that time." Cat said.

"Yup." Kay nodded once. "As you already know, Yugi won the Duelist Kingdom tournament, earning the title "King of Games". So everyone's soul who was captured by Uncle Pegasus were sent back to their bodies. But after he did that, something terrible happened. My Uncle was attacked and he lost his Millennium Eye in the process. He ended up going into a coma. At that time, I didn't know much about the Millennium Items, I didn't know what my Uncle's intention was during the tournament and I didn't know Yugi or the others. So I got angry at Yugi, thinking he was the one who put my Uncle into a coma."

"Really? But he didn't." Cat said.

"I know. I ended up learning that later. Uncle Pegasus recovered a little before Battle City. And that's a good thing." Kay said, smiling. "I was ready to teach Yugi a lesson if I ever met him."  
Cat sweatdropped.

"I-I see..." She said.

"But everything's okay. So...it's all good." Kay said, looking at a nearby window and laughed a little. "Seto doesn't like Pegasus very much. I guess he's still a little sore about the fact that my Uncle tried to take over his company. Not to mention, he was a victim of my Uncle's Millennium Eye along with Mokuba."

Cat blinked. "M-Mokuba and Kaiba lost their souls too?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah. But after he lost the duel with Yugi, he freed Seto and Mokie." Kay said. "I just hope one day that Seto will be able to like my Uncle and get over any grudges."

"That would be nice." Cat agreed.

Kay nodded and glanced out the nearby window again. "Oh! There's my Uncle's jet!" She said, spotting the familiar jet landing. "He should be here any moment."

Cat smiled weakly.

"I feel a little nervous. Even though he's your uncle, he's also famous and the creator of the card game." She said.

"No need to feel nervous, Cat. Just be yourself. It's not like my Uncle will judge you or anything." Kay laughed.

After a while of waiting, Pegasus finally arrived with two men in suits following him and a little girl. Kay stood up and smiled brightly. "Uncle Pegasus!" She called and ran up to him, giving him a hug. Pegasus smiled down at Kay.

"It's so good to see you again, Kay." He greeted, returning the hug.

The little girl that arrived with Pegasus, tapped Kay's back. Kay pulled away from her uncle and looked at the girl, smiling happily. "Adelinda!" She cried and pulled the girl into a hug as well. "I've missed you so much!"

Adelinda giggled.

"I''ve missed you too, sis." She said.

Cat blinked as she watched the three. She recognized Pegasus, but the little girl was new. "_She must be Kay's little sister._" She thought to herself.

Adelinda almost looked like a younger version of Kay. Their hair and eyes were almost exactly the same. Cat smiled at the two sisters. "_I can tell they really love each other._" She said to herself in her mind.

Once Kay pulled back from the hug she shared with her little sister, she looked over at Cat, waving her over. "Don't just stand there Cat! Come over here!" She called.

Cat blushed a little when all eyes turned to her. Shyly, she walked up to the group.

"Um...H-Hi. I'm Cat Tsuru. Nice to meet you both." She said when she reached them.

"Oh yes, Kay has told me much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Cat." Pegasus said holding his hand out. "As you may or may not already know, I'm Pegasus J. Crawford."

Cat shook his hand, smiling shyly.

"And I'm Adelinda Simms. Kay's younger sister." Adelinda said, smiling kindly. Cat returned the smile.

"Well then. Now that the introductions are out of the way, how about we all go out for lunch? My treat." Pegasus suggested.

Kay tilted her head.

"You don't have to plan the party?" She asked.

"I did most of the planning before I came here. There are people setting up at the place where the party is being held and I plan to assist them later in the day." Pegasus explained.

"Ah-ha, planning ahead this time?" Kay asked.

"Of course." Pegasus replied.

"Ah, well then, I probably shouldn't intrude." Cat said smiling. "I'll see you late-..."

Kay grabbed the back of Cat's shirt before she could walk away. "Hold it, woman. No one said you could leave." She said.

"Yes, come and join us Cat. I insist." Pegasus said, smiling.

Cat looked at the three.

"A-Are you sure...?" She asked.

"Of course they're sure! They wouldn't have invited you if they weren't." Adelinda said with a smile.

Cat sweatdropped.

"_Oh my...even the way she talks reminds me of Kay._" She thought to herself.

"Okay..." Cat agreed.

"Excellent. I was hoping I could have a word with you sometime, Cat." Pegasus said. "Well then. Shall we all go?"

Cat blinked. He wanted to talk to her? About what?

* * *

"Thanks for lunch Uncle Pegasus! It was great!" Kay said, smiling.

"Thank you Uncle Pegasus!" Adelinda said happily.

"Y-Yes...thank...you...very much..." Cat said, mostly focused on something else.

The four had finished their lunch.

What Cat was focusing on was the restaurant itself. It was one of Domino's most fancy and expensive restaurants. She was having a hard time getting over how fancy it was. She had never been to a place like this! At first, she was surprised at how natural it all seemed to Kay...but after a moment of thinking it over, it shouldn't be surprising that Kay's used to this sort of thing. She WAS Pegasus' niece after all.

Cat was still examining the area around her. "_I don't feel like I fit in...nor do I think I could ever get used to a place like this. Or afford it.._" She thought to herself.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you all enjoyed it." Pegasus said, smiling kindly.

Adelinda then tugged on Kay's sleeve slightly. "Hey, sis? I need to use the restroom. Will you go with me?" She asked.

Kay smiled.

"Sure, Addy." She said and looked at Pegasus and Cat. "We'll be right back."

"Take your time." Pegasus said as the sisters stood up and walked off.

Cat watched the two leave.

"_Oh dear. This is awkward._" She thought to herself and glanced back at Pegasus before glancing back to where the sisters left.

She sighed quietly and watched the ice cubes float in her glass of water.

"I know what you're going through."

Cat gasped and looked back up at Pegasus, snapping out of her daze.

Pegasus raised his eyebrows, blinking.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He apologized.

"N-N-No, that's o-okay!" Cat said quickly, calming down from her startle.

Pegasus put on a small smile.

"Anyways, I do know what you're going through, Cat." He said. "That heartbroken feeling."

Cat blinked in surprised before looking down sadly. "Oh. That..." She said quietly.

"Yes. And you will get through it sooner or later. Trust me." Pegasus said. "But I must admit. I'm impressed that your lover was the Pharaoh himself."

Cat looked at him, slightly surprised.

"You knew that?" She asked.

"Yes. Kay told me all about what happened." Pegasus replied, glancing down at his glass of wine in his hand. "You know...I believe I saw your ancestor on a stone tablet or two when I was in Egypt."

"Y-You did?" Cat asked.

Pegasus nodded once before taking a sip of his wine. "Luna, correct? Before I created the card game, Duel Monsters, as you already know, I was inspired by the stone tablets that told the stories of the Shadow Games. There were a few that didn't have much to do with the Shadow Games. Luna was on a couple of those. Mostly next to the Pharaoh, of course." He said. "And Khephera and Seth occasionally."

"I see." Cat paused. "W-Wait! You know about Khepehra and Seth?"

"Of course. How Khephera is Kay's connection to the ancient past. Seth and Kaiba-boy." Pegasus answered. "I suspected it for a while until Kay confirmed it for me a little while ago."

"Hm. Well...thank you for the encouragement. You're a kind person." Cat said with a small smile.

Pegasus returned the smile.

"Any friend of Kay is a friend of mine. Including Kaiba-boy, no matter what he thinks." He said, glancing at the ceiling as he said that.

"Kaiba doesn't like you?" Cat asked.

"I suppose you could say that. He's probably still sore about Duelist Kingdom." Pegasus replied and took another sip of his wine. "But he'll get over it someday. Besides, between you and me, I think Kaiba-boy has a little crush on my Kay."

Cat blinked. "You think so? Well...there were some moments." She said, thinking back to the past.

Pegasus laughed.  
"Of course Kaiba-boy is too stubborn to admit it! He will someday though." He chuckled. "I find it funny that Kaiba-boy didn't like Kay at first."

"He didn't?"

"Nope! Kay didn't like him either. They got into a lot of fights in the past and they still bicker occasionally. But they warmed up to each other. Even though it took a little while." Pegasus said.

"That's almost hard to imagine with how close the two are...but then again...I can imagine it a little." Cat said, remembering the times where Kay and Kaiba have argued.

Pegasus chuckled. "Indeed." He agreed.

A couple of minutes later, Kay and Adelinda returned.

"We're back. Sorry it took so long. First we couldn't find the restrooms, then we had to wait for a few other people to finsh. Things like that." Kay said.

"No problem. Welcome back, you two." Pegasus said, smiling.

* * *

The building was beautiful and full of people. Large windows on the wall gave the guests a perfect view of the night sky and courtyard surrounding the building. Inside, large, beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling, lighting up the room.

Guests were either talking, drinking, eating or waltzing with a partner on the dance floor.

"Sheesh. I know I was expecting Pegasus' party to be big and fancy...but somehow I'm still surprised." Jounouchi said, scanning the large room.

"I know what you mean." Yugi agreed.

"Pegasus sure knows how to throw a party." Anzu added in.

"My uncle grew up with these kind of parties and he's held a lot in the past. This doesn't surprise me." Kay said.

"Of course it wouldn't surprise you." Honda mummered.

"HEY! Look! There's the buffet!" Jounouchi pointed out excitedly. "Let's get to it, Honda!"

"I'm right behind you, dude!" Honda agreed before the two ran over to the buffet.

"Save some for the guests!" Kay called.

Everyone had just arrived at the party. The guys were all wearing tuxedos or something close to that. And the girls were wearing evening dresses and had put up their hair.

"Thanks for letting us come, Kay." Kristen said.

"No problem. I thought it would be fun." Kay said, grinning.

Cat was looking through the crowd. Her eyes stopped on two people.

"Oh, hey! Isn't that Kaiba and Mokuba?" She asked, pointing them out.

"Whoa. I'm surprised Kaiba even came. Considering he doesn't like Pegasus." Yugi said, eyebrows raised.

"Well, I'm glad he came. I was hoping to introduce Mokie to Addy since they're the same age and such. I think they'll become great friends." Kay said.

"Your sister was really cute, Kay." Anzu said.

"Yeah, isn't she? She's the most adorable thing on the planet!" Kay said proudly. "I love my little sis."

"I figured you guys would be here."

Everyone looked over at Kaiba and Mokuba, who were approaching them.

"Aren't you even concerned about your friends at the buffet? I hear those two are real pigs when it comes to food." Mokuba said.

"It should be fine." Kay said. "If we run out of food, we'll just get some more. I made sure Uncle Pegasus put some on standby."

"Because you knew Jounouchi and Honda were coming. Nice." Anzu said, giving a thumbs up.

"Anyways, Mokie. I was hoping I could introduce you to my little sister. Do you want to meet her?" Kay asked.

Mokuba grinned. "Sure! I'd love to!" He agreed.

Kay grinned back at the two walked away.

"I'm surprised you came, Kaiba." Yugi said.

"Even though I was invited by Pegasus, I didn't intend to go. Mokuba wouldn't let me say no, though." Kaiba said, his arms crossed over his chest, frowning slightly.

"Just try to enjoy yourself for once." Anzu said.

"Kaiba-boy, Yugi-boy and friends! How nice to see you all!"  
Kaiba cringed at the voice. Pegasus approached the five happily. He looked at Kaiba.

"You look a little under the weather, Kaiba-boy. Do you need a hug?" He asked.

"No. I do not." Kaiba grumbled.

"Suit yourself." Pegasus shrugged.

"Nice to see you again, Pegasus." Kristen greeted. "Great party."

Cat glanced at Kristen. That's right...Kristen and Kay had been friends for years. She had to have met Pegasus before.

"Thank you, Kristen. I love to give my parties a little bit of a classy feel once in a while." Pegasus said.

Kay returned.

"Hey Uncle." She greeted.

"Hello Kay. You look beautiful." Pegasus greeted. "Of course, I shouldn't take the words right out of Kaiba's mouth. It's rude of me."

Kaiba blushed very lightly and glared at Pegasus.

"Shut it." He grumbled.

Kay laughed. "Thanks Uncle."

"Anyways, me and Yugi were hoping to check out the dance floor." Kristen said. "He's never danced before."

"I've danced before! Just not the waltz." Yugi said.

Kay grinned slyly.

"Well then. You two lovebirds have fun. We'll be sure not to bother you." She said.

Kristen and Yugi blushed.

"Shut up, Kay." Kristen mummered before walking away with Yugi.

"Well, I guess I'll explore the area. And make sure Jounouchi and Honda aren't bugging anyone." Anzu said before walking off.

"Kaiba-boy doesn't know how to waltz either. Kay, you should teach him. It's a nice skill to have." Pegasus said, smiling.

Kaiba blushed and glared at Pegasus again.  
"Shut up!" He snapped.

"Not knowing how to waltz is nothing to be embarrassed about, Seto." Kay laughed. "I'll teach you. C'mon!"

Kay grabbed his arm and pulled him along with him.

Cat watched them leave before looking at Pegasus. "I get the feeling you like to tease Kaiba." She said.

"Indeed, I do." Pegasus said, smiling.

Cat sweatdropped.

"You and Kay are defiantly related." She mummered before looking around and spotting a couple of men staring at her. She sighed and glanced back at the buffet. "I guess I'll go watch Jounouchi and Honda."

* * *

The night was calm and peaceful after the party. Everyone had returned home and went to bed. Cat was sleeping soundly in her bed back at her apartment. The party was fun, yet tiring.

Of course, she didn't notice the silent footsteps within her home.

A man stood in the doorway of her bedroom. He smirked and walked over to her bedside.

The man leaned over Cat, watching her sleep. Reaching over, he touched her cheek softly. "Heh, I finally found you."

But the man quickly pulled away when he felt something wet touch his fingers. What? Tears?

"A...tem..." Cat mummered in her sleep, stirring a little.

The man looked surprised.  
"What?"

The stranger didn't watch the volume of his voice and his one word caused Cat's eyes to fly open. The man quickly backed away and headed for the door just as Cat sat up.  
"Wh-Who's there?!" She cried. No answer. The man must have left.

Cat tensed up and put her hands to her heart, scared.

Who was that?

* * *

**Aaaannnndd...it's a cliffy! **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. See you next chappie! :D  
**


	61. Never Let You Go

"Wh-What?! Someone broke into your house last night?!"

Cat nodded, sitting at a cafe with her friends. "But...he ran away as soon as I opened my eyes." She said. "And the next morning, I looked around and nothing was stolen. Nor did the man seem to want to hurt me."

"Yeah, but he BROKE into your house! So he had some intention when he did that!" Kay said, frowning a little.

"Kay's got a point. You should probably call the police or something." Kristen said.

"W-Well...I'd like to go one more night before doing that. For all I know, I might have just forgotten to lock the door." Cat said. "And maybe the man won't come in again."

"Don't be stupid Cat." Kay mummered, sipping her drink through a straw.

"You really should call the police. This isn't something you just let slide." Jounouchi said, leaning back into his chair.

"He's right." Honda agreed.

Anzu poked her drink with her straw.  
"I wonder who the guy was anyways?" She wondered.

"Not sure. It could be a random person for all we know." Yugi said.

"What about those two guys that were staring at you for a while last night?" Honda suggested to Cat.

"Could be." Cat mummered. "Not sure. I didn't see their face."

"Hm. Well, anyways. Call the police tonight. Alright?" Jounouchi said.

"Okay." Cat said.

* * *

"Alright, ma'am. We'll be sure to have a few of our men patrol the area around your apartment tonight."

"Thank you." Cat said to the officer on the other line before hanging up and sighing. "I guess it's a good thing I called the police. I feel much better now."

She walked through her living room and stopped, glancing at the TV. She stared at it for a moment before walking over, turning it on and playing her DVD player.

In her DVD player was the Duelist Kingdom DVD. She flipped to one of Atem's duels and watched it.

Cat hardly paid attention to the duel and was focused on Atem. "I wonder how he's doing...what he's doing, right now." She mummered to herself and her eyelids lowered a little in sadness. "I...wonder if Pegasus is right and that I'll get over this sadness someday? But...part of me doesn't want to get over it. Ugh...it sounds so stupid. I love him but...he'll never come back. And...it's so hard to accept."

Sighing again, she laid her head on the table and stared at the TV screen. "I miss you."

* * *

That night, it was again, peaceful and Cat was asleep in her bed.

A man hidden in the shadows outside of her apartment grinned. It was the same man from the night before. He was about to start walking to the apartment until someone suddenly grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.

"What the...?! Hey! Let me go!" He cried, struggling.

"You wouldn't dare go back to that apartment. There are police watching the area." The other man said. "Besides, if you're not careful, I may just end up turning you in as well."

"Y-You!" The first man growled and jerked his arm away. "Shut up! I don't know who you are, but you don't scare me! Now back off!" The man started to walk to the apartment with the other man watching in the shadows.

Just as the first man reached the apartment, a few police officers stopped him and started talking to him. It wasn't long until the police dragged the man away. The other man smirked. "I knew it." He said and watched the police leave. "I suppose it's my turn now."

The other man walked freely to the apartment and climbed the stairs. Once he reached the right floor, he walked along outside hallways and stopped at a doorway. Without pausing, he grabbed the doorknob and turned it. It was unlocked.

"Hm. She didn't lock the door...that's uncomfortably careless of her." He mummered and stepped in, shutting and locking the door behind him. He scanned the area. The kitchen was next to the entrance. Moving on, he found the living room. He glanced at the short table and noticed a couple of DVD cases sitting on it. Kneeling down, he picked one up and examined it.

"Duelist Kingdom...Battle City?" He mummered, reading the two cases. The man smiled a little before setting them back down and standing up again. He moved around to check out other areas of the apartment home. He stopped when he reached Cat's room.

The man stood in the doorway for a while, staring at Cat. Moonlight, which was filtering through the window, lit up the room.

Smiling, the man walked over to Cat and stood next to her bed. He kneeled down and brushed a few strands from her face gently. When he did this, Cat did not stir. She continued to breathe softly.

The man continued to watch Cat sleep as he played with a few strands of her hair with his fingers. "I wonder if I should?" He whispered to himself before he stood up and walked to the other side of the bed, removing his jacket and setting it on the ground.

Carefully, he climbed onto the bed and laid next to Cat, above the covers. He stared at the back of her head for a moment before rolling onto his side and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her against him.

Cat stirred a little, but did not wake up.

The man smiled and held onto her tighter, his lips touching near the top of the back of her head. His eyes, two familiar amythist orbs, stared at her.

"I love you." Atem whispered softly into Cat's hair. "I've missed you so much. And I'll never let you go again."

* * *

"You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?"

Kaiba glanced up from his laptop to find a very tired looking Kay, standing at his office doorway. She had gotten up early, before the sun had rose, to go to Kaiba Corp. and help Kaiba out. But she didn't expect Kaiba to be there.

"I've had a lot of work to do." Kaiba replied.

"That's not an excuse." Kay mummered, walking in and setting her bag down in a nearby chair. "Lack of sleep is bad for you."

"I'm fine." Kaiba said, staring at his screen, typing.

"You won't be." Kay said and sat on his desk, watching his screen. She yawned. There was nothing but silence for a little while.

When Kaiba yawned, it immediately caught Kay's attention.

"You're tired." She said.

"No, I'm not." Kaiba replied simply.

"Yes you are."

"No. I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

Kay frowned at Kaiba. "Whatever. Take a break! You've been working all night!" She said and tugged on Kaiba's sleeve.

"I don't need a break. I'm fine." Kaiba said, glancing at her.

"I'm not buying that." Kay grumbled and sighed. "Idiot. I'm just looking out for your well being."

Kaiba thought for a moment.

"Okay. I'll take a break. On one condition." He said, grinning a little.

"Oh great. I don't like the sound of this." Kay mummered. "What?"

"You have to stay with me the whole time I'm asleep." Kaiba said.

Kay's face turned red and she looked shocked and irritated at the suggestion.

"WH-WHAT?!" She cried. "Why such an embarrassing request?!"

Kaiba shrugged. "It's no problem. I can keep on working." He said before looking back at his laptop, working again.

Kay glared at him.

"Jerk..." She mummered. "Fine! I'll do it! Just go get some freaking sleep already!"

Kaiba smirked. "I didn't think you'd accept." He said. "I'm surprised."

"Shut up, skip the sarcastic remarks and go to sleep already!" Kay snapped, still blushing. She pointed to a nearby sofa that was in his office. Silently smug, Kaiba stood up and walked over the the sofa, laying on it. He beckoned Kay to come over.

Kay sighed and walked over to him, sitting on the ground, leaning against the sofa and next to his head. Kaiba grinned. "Good. You just sit there until I wake up." He said.

"Till you wake up?!" Kay cried and sighed. "Whatever. Go to sleep, jerk."

Kaiba smirked and closed his eyes.

Thirty minutes passed and Kaiba was asleep. Kay, who was still tired, glanced over at him. She had never watched him sleep before. She blushed lightly at how peaceful and handsome he looked while asleep.

Shaking her head, she focused on the nearby window for a while. But she eventually looked back over at Kaiba. Silently and carefully, she touched his hair, noting how soft it was. She blushed again and continued to play with his hair, careful not to wake him.

"Sheesh." Kay mummered quietly. "If Kaiba's fans at school saw him like this, they'd eat him." She stared at Kaiba. "I didn't know his hair was this soft. I'm a little surprised."

A few minutes passed and Kay was still staring at him. She sighed again. "Why do I love you so much?" She mummered.

* * *

The sun finally rose, lighting up the City of Domino.

It was a clear day, and like usual, birds chirped and sang outside of the apartment. Sunlight lit up the room and Cat stirred a little before waking up. She blinked tiredly and yawned.  
"Another dream." She mummered, wiping the tears from her face and eyes. Once she was done with that, she slowly tried to sit up...but something was holding her in place.

More awake now, she realized that someone was holding her. She could feel the person's warm breath against the top of her head and she glanced down to see the person's arms.

She was now wide awake.

"E...E...EEEEEEEYYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" She screamed and rolled off the bed, taking the covers with her and leaving the person on the bed. Cat hit the floor and quickly scrambled to her feet and backed up against the wall, the sheets hanging off of her. She panted and stared at the person wide eyed as her heart pounded against her chest.

The other person was now awake and alarmed because of the scream. But they quickly calmed down, realizing the situation. The person stared at her and smiled warmly.

"Well...that was quite the greeting." A familiar deep voice said.

Cat was frozen in place. No...it...couldn't be. With all these surprises so far, she was surprised that she hadn't fainted yet.

"N-No...I'm...I'm still dreaming, aren't I?" Cat whispered. "You...You can't be here...you left...A-Atem..."

Atem chucked and got off the bed, stepping towards her.

"I certianly hope this isn't a dream. Because that would mean that I'm dreaming as well." He said and stopped when he reached her.

Atem looked exactly the same as he did before he left. Only he wasn't wearing his Domino High jacket. The jacket was still on the floor, next to the bed.

"B-But...you...how...a-am I...seeing things then?" She asked, tears starting to grow in her eyes.

Atem shook his head.

"No. This is real." He said. "I'm back, Cat. And...I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I've made you suffer."

Hesitant, Cat reached out and touched his cheek, just to make sure he wasn't some sort of illusion. When she was sure she could feel his warm skin against her hand, the tears in her eyes started to fall freely from her eyes. "A...Atem!" She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

Cat sobbed into his black tangtop as Atem returned the hug.

"I-I'm so happy! I've missed you so much." Cat cried.

Atem kissed the top of her head and tightened the hug.

"I've missed you too." He whispered. "But now, I'm back. And I promise that I'll never leave you again."

Cat looked up at him and smiled. Atem returned the smile before he captured her lips with his own.

* * *

Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap...

Kay frowned and elbowed Jounouchi in the side.

"Knock it off! Your foot tapping is starting to bug me!" She snapped.

"OW!" Jounouchi cried. "I'm sorry! But I'm bored! And Cat's late!"

Everyone had planned another get-together that day and it was noon. School was going to start next week, so everyone was using this free time to have fun.

"She is running late...I wonder if something came up?" Yugi wondered, looking at a nearby clock.

"Ugh, she'd better hurry up and get over here before I starve." Honda complained, holding his stomach.

"We can't go have lunch without Cat." Anzu reminded Honda.

"She'll be here. Let's just wait a little while longer." Kristen said.

A few minutes passed and Cat finally stepped out from behind a corner, smiling. Everyone looked at her.  
"THERE you are! What took ya?!" Jounouchi asked. "We were getting tired of waiting!"

"Sorry." Cat apologized.

Kay tilted her head.

"Hey...you look happier than you've been for a long time. Did something happen?" She asked.

Cat's smile grew. "Yes." She replied and stepped towards them. Holding Cat's hand was Atem, who stepped out from behind the corner as well. Everyone gasped when they saw him.

"It's been a while, everyone." Atem greeted.

There was hardly time for silence.

"Pharaoh!" They all cried before they all ran up to him happily.

"This calls for a group hug!" Jounouchi said, grinning, as everyone hugged him.  
Atem laughed.

"Did you guys miss me that much?" He asked.

"Of course we did!" Yugi said.

"Yeah. I was getting tired of watching Cat sulk and be all sad all the time." Kay said, grinning.

Cat blushed a little but didn't reply. Atem chuckled and everyone pulled back from the group hug.

"It's good be to back." He said and hugged Cat to his side.

"But there's something that confuses me. How did you return?" Yugi asked.

"That, I can explain later." Atem said.

"Yeah! He can tell us later! We have a lot of catching up to do!" Jounouchi said.

"It hasn't been that long, Jounouchi!" Anzu pointed out.

"Still! It felt like forever!" Jounouchi said.

"In a way, it did." Honda agreed. Kristen giggled.

"We were about to go have lunch. We can all talk there." Yugi said.

"Sounds good." Atem said.

"Alright! Let's go!" Jounouchi cheered.

* * *

**...Eh...so this chapter wasn't as good as the last...and its kinda short...and cheesy. D: I was running low on ideas.  
**

**But I hope you enjoyed it anyways. See you next chappie! :D  
**


	62. Seaside Trip

"_Wake...up..._"

...

"_Wake...up..._"

Cat shifted a little and sighed a sleepy sigh. She had fallen asleep on her desk at school.

"DARN IT CAT! WAKE UP ALREADY!" Kay yelled and elbowed her.

Cat let out a surprised yelp and fell out of her chair. The class began to laugh.

Cat sat up, looking at Kay. "Was that necessary?" She asked, looking slightly frazzled. Kay sat up straight in her chair, glancing down at Cat.

"Yes. Yes it was." She said. "That'll teach you to fall asleep while we're planning our class trip."

Cat blinked before getting herself back in her seat.

The class chairman turned to look at Cat, laughing weakly.

"Try to stay awake Ms. Tsuru." He said, smiling. "Even though planning the trip seems boring, the trip itself will be a lot of fun."

Cat smiled weakly. "N-No...it's not because it's boring...I'm sorry. I'll stay awake." She said.

That's right.

The class was taking a trip to the beach in a city next to Domino. They were going to spend two nights and three days there in a seaside hotel which was popular among schools for school trips. And since the students needed to plan the trip, the teachers left them a class period to do so.

The class trip was five days away and everyone was almost done planning, and everyone had already paid the fee to go.

It had been a while since Atem had returned. He was currently staying with Yugi and Solomon. They were able to enroll him into Domino High School with everyone else. Everyone was happy that the gang was back together.

Cat sighed and glanced around the classroom at her friends.

Jounouchi was still snickering because of Cat's fall. Honda was looking at Jounouchi as if he was an idiot. Anzu, Kay and Yugi were paying attention to the class chairman. Kaiba looked like he was seriously paying attention to the class chairman, but Cat knew that he probably secretly didn't care about the class trip. It was just another thing to stand in his way of work. Oh wait...he already said that at lunch earlier today.

And Cat finally looked over at Atem.  
He was paying attention to the chairman as well.

She turned her head back at the chairman and sighed again. Everyone seemed excited about the class trip. Cat, herself, was excited too. But...today she was just a little tired. Must of been because of gym class last period. No wonder.

Cat rested her head in her hand and her mind began to drift off a little.

There wasn't much doubt that the class trip was probably going to be "very eventful". Why wouldn't it, anyways?

Her and her friends were going. And with them...things were _always_ eventful.

"Ms. Tsuru? Are you still paying attention?"

"Huh?"

* * *

"I'm completely packed for tomorrow. Are you Cat?"

"I'm...almost done." Cat mummered, holding the phone to her ear while sitting in front of her half-packed bag.

"Geez, Cat. You take forever." Jounouchi said.

He was on the other end of the phone.

Jounouchi was bored, so he decided to give Cat a call, since they've never chatted on the phone with each other.

"Sorry. I guess I tend to pack slower than most people." Cat said, sweatdropping.

"Eh, that's okay." He said. "Anyways, you excited for the trip?"

"Yeah. It'll be a lot of fun." Cat said, smiling. "And I take it you're excited as well?"

"What? Are you kiddin'?! I'm probably more excited than the whole class COMBINED!" Jounouchi exclaimed. "This is gonna be AWESOME!"

Cat laughed a little.

"Glad to hear you're all pumped up. No wonder you're the first to be packed."

"Oh yeah!"

Cat laughed a little again.

"But, you are sounding a little mellow Cat. I thought you would be more excited than this." Jounouchi said.

"Well...I guess I don't really "burst" with excitement until the day comes. I really am excited. Just on the inside." Cat laughed.

"Oh, I see." Jounouchi mummered. "Yeah this'll be fun. Three days on a trip and on the beach. I'll bet you can't wait to spend some time with your "Pharaoh"."

Cat paused for a while.

"Erm..." She blushed a little. "Jounouchi...that sounds like something Kay would say..."

"I don't doubt that." Jounouchi said. "Somebody's gotta do her job when she's not doing."

"Oh, she's mentioned things to me like that, more than enough times. But she does get a little irritated when I mention the same thing with her and Kaiba." Cat said.

Jounouchi laughed.

"Yeah! I'm still surprised at the fact that rich boy would even open up that much to anyone besides Mokuba!" Jounouchi grinned. "But I guess it's a good thing. Even though he still doesn't seem to be willing to open up to everyone else."

"Maybe being around Kay will change that." Cat said. "But until then, you'll have to stand being called "Monkey-boy" and "Dog"."

"Hmph! Stupid rich boy...he needs to knock it off!" Jounouchi grumbled. Cat only laughed a little. "Anyways, Cat. I guess I'll go for tonight. You REALLY need to finish packing."

"Jounouchi...you sound like a mother." Cat laughed.

"I do? Geez. Probably because I've been hanging out with Shizuka recently." Jounouchi mummered.

"How is she anyways?" Cat asked.

"She's fine. She went back to our mom's place since I'm going on this class trip." Jounouchi answered.

"I see. I'm glad she's doing well."

"Yup! Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay? Don't even think about sleeping in!"

"Eh...I'll be sure not to sleep in."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Yup! See you tomorrow, Jounouchi. Goodnight."

"Night!"

Cat hung up the phone, setting it to the side. She sighed as she stared down at her bag.

"I probably haven't finished up because I've been spacing out." She mummered to herself. "Nothing new there...I wonder what'll happen during the trip?"

* * *

"HEEEEYYY! HURRY UP CAT! BEFORE ALL THE GOOD SEATS GET TAKEN!" Kay yelled from across the parking lot.

Cat ran up to her friends, waiting for her by the bus.

"Took you long enough!" Kay said with a grin.

"Sorry." Cat said, smiling and panting.

"Whatever. Let's just get on board!" Jounouchi said, heading into the bus.

Everyone nodded and boarded the bus, grabbing seats so they could sit close together.

"I can't wait till we get there! This'll be so much fun!" Anzu said with excitement.

"Of course it will!" Honda agreed. He was sitting by Anzu.

"You found someone to watch over Mokie, right?" Kay asked Kaiba, who was sitting beside her.

"Yes. But it wasn't really necessary. Mokuba doesn't like to be treated like a kid all the time. He can take care of himself." Kaiba mummered.

"Hey now. Mokuba's still a kid! I feel better when I know he has someone watching over him! I worry about him you know." Kay said, looking up at Kaiba. "Just as I worry about you sometimes."

Jounouchi, who was sitting behind them, leaned over the seat and between Kay and Kaiba.

"I'd worry about him too. Kaiba's probably the type of guy who'll stand on the beach when it's really hot and wear his black outfit with that ridiculously huge trench coat of his." He said.

"Hmph. Say what you want, Mutt. But you're the type of person who would be panicking and thinking he was drowning while sitting in two feet of water." Kaiba said.

Jounouchi scowled and Kay began to laugh.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" He snapped, pointing at Kaiba.

"Hey now...let's not start a fight already, okay?" Yugi said, trying to calm Jounouchi down. Yugi was sitting next to Kristen in the seats on the other side of Jounouchi.

Jounouchi flopped back into his seat, his arms crossed. He huffed and started to mummer about how he hated Kaiba and such.

Cat was beaming the whole time. Atem, who was sitting next to her, glanced over at Cat.

"You seem excited." He said with a smile.

"I am!" Cat said, turning to face him. "This will be so much fun! It's a great time for all of us to just hang out and have fun!"

Atem smiled more.

"It will be." He agreed.

The bus' engine suddenly came to life. And it wasn't long, after the chaperones boarded to make sure everyone was present, until the bus began to make it's way to it's destination.

* * *

The sound of ocean waves echoed through everyone's ears. The class had just gotten off the bus and was either stretching out or staring out to the ocean, happily.

"It's so pretty here!" Kristen exclaimed.

"Yeah! It's a lot more beautiful than the beach in Domino City!" Kay agreed.

"No wonder it's a hot spot for class trips." Anzu said. Kay nodded once in agreement.

"Hmph. The ocean is the same where ever you go." Kaiba said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I can't believe I left work for this."

Kay sweatdropped and frowned.

"Don't ruin it for the rest of us, Seto." She mummered.

"Aw, YEAH! The beach!" Jounouchi cried happily, stretching his arms. "Honda, I hope you're ready to be totally smoked by me in volleyball!"

Honda smirked.

"Yeah right! You're the one who's gonna get smoked!" He exclaimed.

"It's a really nice place." Yugi said. "The hotel we're staying at looks fancy too."

"I love the ocean so much." Cat sighed. "It's so beautiful and peaceful."

"It is." Atem said.

"The beach at night is also very beautiful. Especially when the moon is reflecting off the ocean." Cat said, her gaze not leaving the ocean. "It would be nice to talk a walk on the beach at night."

Atem smiled at her. "I'll go with you." He said. Cat smiled up at him.

"Okay!"

"Alright everyone! Please gather your bags and head to the hotel! Please pick two to four people you would like to share a room with! Boys cannot share the same room as girls! And girls cannot share the same room as boys!" The teacher announced. "Let's go!"

Everyone followed the teacher's and chaperones to the hotel.

* * *

"TRY HITTIN' THIS!"

Jounouchi jumped in the air and spiked the volleyball as hard as he could. Honda dove for it, but bearly missed it.

"HA! Eat that Honda!" Jounouchi said smugly. "I'd start worrying if I were you!"

Honda stood up, brushing the sand off of him.

"Yeah right! The game's just started!" He called back, before retrieving the volleyball and tossing it back to Jounouchi.

It took everyone about an hour and a half to drop off their luggage and pick rooms and roommates.

Kay, Cat, Kristen and Anzu all managed to stay in a room together as roommates.

Atem and Yugi decided to be roommates while Jounouchi and Honda decided to be roommates. Everyone wasn't sure it was such a good idea for Jounouchi and Honda to be roommates. They'd probably make a bunch of noise, challenging each other all night and smacking each other around with pillows or whatever they could find.

Kaiba, of course, was able to get his own room by himself, somehow. Everyone didn't really bother to question how he was able to pull that off. It was Kaiba after all.

After lunch and an hour long tour of the area, everyone immediately changed into their swimsuits and ran to the beach.

Jounouchi wore green swimming trunks while Honda wore brown swimming trunks.

Anzu wore a light pink, two-piece swimsuit and Yugi wore dark blue swimming trunks.

Kay wore a blue two-piece, which covered her body almost as much as a one-piece, and almost couldn't believe that Kaiba had actually changed into summer wear. He was wearing dark blue swimming shorts and a grey button up shirt. Everyone figured it must of had something to do with what Jounouchi said on the bus.

Kristen wore a blue-violet, one-piece swimsuit.

Atem was in dark blue swim trunks himself and wore a white open jacket. He was waiting for Cat, who hadn't come out yet.

Jounouchi and Honda had formed a volleyball game. And even though other classmates were playing with them, it seemed to be just a personal match between Jounouchi and Honda.

Yugi was playing with them and was on Jounouchi's team. Kristen played with them too, but she had to be on Honda's team so the numbers were fair.

Anzu took this chance to sunbathe while she waited for Jounouchi, Yugi, Kristen and Honda to finish their current match. Once Anzu had come out and asked Jounouchi and Honda if she could play with them, it somehow became an argument. Mostly because Jounouchi and Honda didn't think Anzu stood a chance against even one of them.

Kaiba sat on a beach chair and read a book. Normally, he would be working on a laptop, but the chair was too close to the ocean and he didn't want anything to happen to it.

Atem sat at a table and looked out to the ocean. Kay walked up to him.

"Where's Cat?" She asked. Atem looked up at her.

"She's still changing, I think." Atem answered.

Kay raised an eyebrow.

"Still? It's been a while." Kay sighed. "I'll go check on her."

* * *

Cat stood by herself in the beach's changing room.

She sighed. "I can't believe I'm feeling self-conscious already." She mummered under her breath.

Cat had bought a new swimsuit for the trip, but she as having second thoughts. The swimsuit she had was a two piece white swimsuit. The only problem was, was that it was "bikini-like". Cat realized she probably should have put more thought into it before she bought it.

Currently, Cat was wearing a long, button up, white shirt over her embarrassing swimsuit. But even though she was wearing that, she was still hesitant.

Usually Cat wore low pigtails when she went swimming, but she decided to keep her hair in her usual ponytail today.

She blushed to herself.

"This'll be the first time I see Atem in a swimsuit." She muttered before leaning against the wall. "This'll be the first time ANYONE has seen me in a swimsuit! Geez...it sucks to be shy." She rubbed her forehead, sighing.

"CAAATT! Are you still in here?!"

Cat looked up from leaning against the wall and turned her head towards the entrance. Kay walked in.

"Why the heck are you still in here?" She asked. "You're making your "beloved" wait." Cat blushed again.

"I'm aware." She mummered. "But..."

"And why are you wearing a shirt over your swimsuit? Don't tell me you're feeling insecure!" Kay said, putting her hands on her hips.

"And that's new?" Cat asked. Kay sighed.

"Whatever, Cat. You have no reason to feel insecure. Now c'mon, so your boyfriend can drool at you and I can get pictures. Because it would be quite a funny sight to see Atem like that." Kay said, pulling on Cat's arm.

"W-Wait! Kay!" Cat cried as she was being dragged out.

Kay finally dragged Cat out onto the beach and over to where Atem was.

"Here, I brought your lost princess." Kay joked, pulling Cat up to the table. Cat stumbled a little, almost hitting the table. She frowned a little at Kay, blushing brightly.

Atem smiled and stood up.

"There you are Cat. I was wondering where you were." He said. Cat looked over at him shyly and didn't say anything.

"She was hanging around the changing room refusing to leave because she was too insecure." Kay explained. Cat shot Kay a look.

"N-No need to explain, Kay!" She cried.

"Speaking of which..." Kay said, glancing at Cat. "You really need to take that shirt off so Atem can gawk at you. And if you don't in 30 minutes, then I'll throw you into the ocean."

With that, Kay walked off. Atem sweatdropped.

"Um..."gawk"?" He asked.

"Ignore that." Cat mummered.

There was silence between the two for a moment.

"So, uh...why the shirt?" Atem asked.

Cat blushed again.

"Its to cover up the embarrassing swimsuit I bought." Cat admitted.

"Embarrassing? It can't be that bad." Atem said.

"It is to me." Cat said.

"If it's embarrassing, then why did you get it?"

"Let's just say I didn't think about it enough before I bought it."

"Oh."

"TIMES UP!"

Before either of them could react, Kay grabbed one of Cat's arms and Jounouchi, who Kay asked for assistance, grabbed her other arm.

"Wha? WHA?" Cat gasped. "I thought you were waiting 30 minutes!"

"30 minutes...30 seconds..." Kay shrugged. "Close enough. Lets go!"

Kay and Jounouchi darted to the ocean, dragging poor Cat along with them. Once they got to the water's edge, they tossed Cat in. Cat screamed before she hit the water.

Atem walked over to where Kay and Jounouchi were. The two of them were busy laughing.

"Was that necessary?" Atem asked, glancing at Kay and Jounouchi.

"Yes. Yes it was." Kay laughed.

Cat finally resurfaced and gasped for air. Once she was able to get her breath back, she pouted a little.

"Geez you two..." She mummbled and walked out of the water.

"Okay Cat. You got 30 more seconds before me and Jounouchi toss you back into the ocean." Kay said, grinning.

"You're being very ruthless today." Cat mummered. Kay only grinned.

Cat sighed and started to unbutton her shirt.

"Remind me to get you back for this." She mummered.

"As if you could." Kay said.

Cat sighed again and took off the shirt and started to wring the water out.

While Cat was doing that, Atem blinked and blushed a little as he examined her swimsuit. Cat tossed the shirt aside and blushed a little, not looking at Atem.

"I...uh." Atem cleared his throat. "It doesn't look embarrassing. It looks nice."

"Thanks." Cat mummered.

"Sheesh, Atem. You were supposed to have this really funny gawking look on your face!" Kay scolded. "You disappoint me."

"Sorry." Atem said.

"Hmph. I guess I brought the camera along for nothing." Kay sighed, pulling out a camera from behind her back.

"You were seriously going to take pictures?"

"Yes."

Atem sweatdropped.

"Okay."

"It really shouldn't come to you as a surprise Atem." Kay said simply before walking back to her bag to return the camera.

Jounouchi was about to say something until he was smacked in the back of the head with a volleyball. He turned around to glare at the person who threw it.

"JOUNOUCHI! Get over here! The new game is about to start!" Anzu shouted impatiently.

Jounouchi, still glaring, marched over to where everyone else was.

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I'M COMING!" He yelled.

Atem chuckled as he watched Jounouchi before facing Cat again. "Well then. I'll go get us some drinks. Wait here." He said walking towards her.

Once he reached the side of her, he whispered something in her ear and continued on to get drinks.

Cat's face turned completely red. Kay walked back up to Cat.

"Cat? You're completely red! What did Atem say to you?" She asked. Cat shook her head violently.

"N-N-N-NOTHING! I-It's n-nothing! R-Really!" Cat cried with embarrassment.  
Kay raised an eyebrow.

"You're not going to tell me are you? Well, whatever. All I know is that it must have been pretty big. I've never seen you get that embarrassed when Atem tells you something." She mummered with her arms crossed over her chest.

Cat looked down, still as red as ever.

"I-I don't even know if he was s-serious or not a-anyways. S-s-so it doesn't matter." She mummered in a slightly high pitch than usual.

Kay sweatdropped.

"By the sound of things, it sounds AND looks like you're about to faint." She said, raising her eyebrow again. "Go sit down, woman."

Cat nodded and shuffled her way over to the nearest table to sit down and calm down...that is...until Kay dumped a bucket of sea water on her head.

* * *

***ahem*...Right...well, this chapter may sound VERY familiar to those who have read the old version of "Eternal Snow". Yes, I ran out of ideas and I'm recycling this idea. But before you start throwing bricks at your screen, I'm planning on making the "class trip arc" as different as I can from the old version of "Eternal Snow".**

**Thank you very much for your reviews! :D Sorry that I haven't really replied to any of them yet...**

**Also, I'm sure some people are wondering how Atem came back...well...I haven't decided if I wanted that to be explained or not yet. I have an explanation of how he comes back, but I'm still trying to figure out if it sounds too stupid or not. lol**

**Oh, and if you're wondering what Atem said to Cat near the end of the chapter...well, I leave that to your imaginations. Yes, I do know what he REALLY said, but I like leaving some things to people's imaginations. So, go for it. :D  
Hint though, whatever he said was obviously really embarrassing to Cat. ...Obvious Obviously.  
**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie!  
**


	63. I Don't Care What They Say! I Love You

Cat, Kay, Jounouchi, Yugi, Kristen and Anzu walked through the busy streets of the marketplace.

It was day two of their class trip and everyone was roaming around the town. Either being with friends, exploring the area or shopping.

Like yesterday, the day was hot. But a cool breeze blew through occasionally, making the leaves on the tree rustle gently.

All the students were in their school uniforms.

Jounouchi threw his arms into the air, stretching.

"Aw, YEAH! The weather is great today!" He said loudly and sighed. "I may have to return to the beach again later today."

"Oh? And create another sunburn, Jounouchi?" Anzu asked, grinning.

Jounouchi frowned at her.

"Quiet you." He mummbled.

Kay grinned. "Ah, this should be an eventful day!" She sighed.

Cat looked at Kay.  
"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Don't you know?" Kay asked before pausing. "Ah...maybe not. Anyways, class trips are real hot spots for confessing your love to the person you like!"

Cat blinked.

"R-Really? I didn't know that."

"Obviously." Kay snickered, rolling her eyes.

"Is that so, huh?" Yugi asked. "Well I guess I can see why the students do that."

"Yeah, but the sad part is, is that confessing your love to someone will decide whether this will be a good class trip, or bad one." Anzu said.

"That's true. Rejection can be very painful." Cat agreed. Kristen nodded in agreement.

Jounouchi snorted, grinning.

"Yeah well...I don't have any worries." He said, putting his hands on his hips, looking smug. "I don't have any doubts that the ladies will start linin' up soon."

Everyone stared at Jounouchi. Either sweatdropping or frowning with unamusement.

"I'm such a heartbreaker." Jounouchi sniffed smugly.

Anzu whacked him over the head.

"Shut up." She muttered.

Everyone except Anzu and Jounouchi laughed.

Cat looked up in thought. "By the way...when were we supposed to meet the others?" She asked.

Kay glanced at her watch.

"We're meeting them up for lunch. Sooo...we have about an hour before they arrive." She said.

"What were they doing again?" Yugi asked.

Kay shrugged.

"I dunno. Didn't bother to ask." She said.

Yugi sweatdropped.

"Oh..."

"Excuse me..."

The five friends turned.

A young man stood behind them, looking a little shy. He had green eyes, black hair and was the same height as Kay.

"Oh hey! You're...Sosuke, right?" Jounouchi asked.

Sosuke nodded.

"Yes and I...um...I wanted to talk to Anzu for a moment." He said shyly.

Anzu blinked at pointed to herself.

"Me?" She asked.

Sosuke nodded again.

"Okay...um, I'll be right back guys." Anzu said as she followed Sosuke.

The five stared at the two as they left.

A grin spread across Kay and Jounouchi's faces.

"Ah, it's a love confession!" Kay exclaimed.

"Exactly! I do NOT want to miss this!" Jounouchi said, running in the direction that Sosuke and Anzu left.

"J-Jounouchi! Where are you going?!" Cat cried.

"Where else? C'mon guys! We gotta see this!" Jounouchi called back.

The other four stood still.

"Well...might as well watch." Kay snickered, following Jounouchi.

"What?" Cat, Kristen and Yugi asked at the same time.

"Why not? It'll give us something to do! C'mon you two!" Kay said.

Cat, Kristen and Yugi stayed still for a little while before sighing.

"Should we go?" Cat asked.

"Well..." Kristen mummered.

"Might as well..." Yugi answered before the two hurried after their other friends.

* * *

"S-So...I was...y'know...w-wondering...if...you're single...that...you would, uh...be...my girl. G-Girlfriend."

Sosuke was blushing brightly as he stumbled across his words, standing opposite to Anzu.

Kay, Jounouchi, Kristen, Yugi and Cat all watched secretly.

"I knew it!" Jounouchi whispered.

"What's she gonna say?" Kay wondered.

There was silence between Sosuke and Anzu for a little while. Sosuke blushed a little more at the awkward silence.

"Th-That is...if you want to..." He added in.

Anzu gazed softly at the ground with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I'm afraid I can't return your feelings. You see...there's still another in my heart...and I haven't been able to let go yet."

Anzu lifted her head and smiled a little more. "Besides...what good is a girlfriend who's in still in love with the person they can't let go of?" She laughed, trying to joke.

Sosuke looked a little sad but smiled.

"I understand." He said.

"WHHAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Sosuke and Anzu snapped their heads in the direction of the yell.

The source of the noise was Jounouchi. He stood in the open, looking annoyed.

"C'MON ANZU! Give us something to work with here!" Jounouchi cried.

Kay, Cat, Kristen and Yugi all glanced at each other and sighed, knowing it was no use hiding anymore. They walked out behind Jounouchi. Kay punched him in the back of the head.

"OW!" Jounouchi cried, rubbing the back of his head.

"Loudmouth." Kay growled.

"You..."

Everyone turned their attention back at Anzu, who, to their horror, looked VERY angry.

"You...all...spied on us?!" She growled.

"Wh-Whoa! Calm down Anzu!" Kristen cried, waving her hands. "Jounouchi forced us to do it!" She pointed at Jounouchi.

Jounouchi whipped his head in Kristen's direction.

"Say WHAT?!" He cried.

"Well, it IS true." Kay said.

"JOOOOEEEEEEYYY!" Anzu yelled and grabbed his ear.

"OW! OW! HEY! STOP! OW!" Jounouchi cried in pain.

"YOU IDIOT! HOW DARE YOU EAVESDROP ON US!!!" Anzu yelled in Jounouchi's ear.

Sosuke, scared of the sudden rage, took this chance to sneak away.

While Anzu and Jounouchi bickered, Cat was lost in thought.

_"You see...there's still another in my heart...and I haven't been able to let go yet." _

That sentence echoed in Cat's head.

"_Anzu..._" She thought to herself, looking up at Anzu, who was still fighting with Jounouchi. "_You're...still in love with Atem...aren't you?_"

* * *

"Hey, its almost lunch time. Do you think we should head over to the place where we said we would meet the others?" Kay asked, looking at her watch.

"Yeah. We should probably head on over." Yugi said.

Cat was quite the whole way. She was still thinking about what Anzu had said earlier. Cat knew that Anzu always had a crush on the Pharaoh...but...when it was almost time for Atem to leave, she had forgotten all about it.

Cat bit her lip. She felt bad...Atem and her were now together and in love...but she had forgotten about Anzu's feelings. Cat glanced at Anzu who was still ocassionally bickering with Jounouchi.

"_Anzu's good and keeping a straight face...she must be heartbroken that Atem chose me instead of her...ARGH! I feel so bad! But...what can I do?_" Cat thought to herself.

"HEY! CAT! WHERE YA GOIN'?!"

Cat stopped and turned around, snapping out of her thoughts.

Everyone stood in front of a building, along with Atem, Kaiba and Honda, who had just arrived. They were all staring at her, confused.

Cat sweatdropped and looked embarrassed. She was so lost in her thoughts that she had walked right past the building they were all meeting at.

"Everything alright, Cat?" Atem asked as Cat walked back up to them.

"Y-Yeah...sorry. I was lost in my thoughts." Cat mummered.

"You're such a scatterbrain! You could walk in front of a bus and not notice until you got hit by it!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

Atem frowned at Jounouchi.

"Don't even joke about that..." He warned.

"Yeah. It could actually happen." Kay said simply, shrugging.

Atem sweatdropped.

"That's not helping, Kay." He mummered.

Kay only grinned.

Anzu stared at Cat for a moment before frowning a little and sighing. She looked back at all her other friends. "Why don't you guys go in and get a table for us all. I need to talk to Cat alone for a moment." She said.

Everyone blinked, confused. But they didn't object.

"Alright. We'll see you inside." Honda said as everyone walked in.

Anzu waved to them kindly before turning back to Cat, looking a little annoyed. Cat blinked.

"Anzu? What did you want to talk to me abo-OW!"

Anzu pinched both of Cat's cheeks and pulled.

"Knock it off already, Cat!" Anzu snapped.

"Ow! OW! What!?" Cat cried.

Anzu let go and Cat rubbed her cheeks painfully.

"Look...I know what your moping about." Anzu said, putting her hands on her hips. "Just knock it off already. I'm fine."

Cat looked at her.

"What?" She asked.

Anzu sighed, her face calming a bit. "Its true. I still have...a little "crush" on the Pharaoh. But the last thing I need is you getting all worried about it." She said. "I'm fine. Stop worrying about my feelings."

"I'm sorry Anzu..." Cat mummered. "It's just...I had forgotten about how you might have felt. And...it made me feel really bad for not considering your feelings. I just...couldn't tell. You never acted like anything was bothering you around us. So...my mind was probably made to believe that you had gotten over him."

"I'll admit...it hurt for a little while. But I'm fine. I'm starting to let go. So don't worry about my feelings. And don't you dare make me regret backing off for your sake." Anzu said sternly.

Cat looked back at Anzu.

Anzu smiled.

"You're still my friend. I'm not going to let a guy get in the way of our friendship." She said.

Cat smiled a little.

"Thank you, Anzu."

"Forget about it. Let's go inside. Everyone's probably wondering what's taking us so long." Anzu said, pointing her thumb to the doorway.

Cat smiled again and nodded.

"Yeah!"

* * *

"Pl-Please accept my feelings!"

Kay rubbed the back of her head, frowning a little. "Um...I'm sorry...I...can't." She said, slowly. This was weird...rejecting a love confession. It's an awkward situation to be in.

"_I guess I understand, now, why Anzu was so angry with us. This is indeed a very awkward position to be in. Not to mention personal._" She thought to herself. "_Not to mention...I have to hurt this guy...not exactly the best feeling in the world._"

The male in front of Kay looked at her sadly. "I-I see..." He mummered. "I-It's...It's because of Seto Kaiba, isn't it? You're always hanging around him."

Kay blinked, surprised at the sudden mention of Kaiba.

"I just want to ask one thing..." The boy said. "Why do you like him? He's always so cold and rude to everyone. He thinks he's so high and mighty just because he's the owner and president of a big gaming company! He thinks it's an excuse to look down on the rest of us! How can you stand someone like that?! You don't seem like that kind of person."

Kay looked a little taken aback for a moment."W-Well..." She wasn't sure what to say.

"Surely you're not the shallow type to go after him because of his looks and money like most of the other girls, right?" The boy asked.

Kay frowned and shook her head.

"Of course not!" She replied. "I'd shoot myself in the foot if I was ever like that!"

"So then...why?" The male student asked.

Kay looked at the ground. "Seto...he's not completely who everyone thinks he is. He...has his reasons of being that way. Natrually, I wouldn't ever take that crap he pulls on people sometimes. And I didn't at first. Me and Seto didn't even like each other for a while. But...we became friends and he opened up to me." She explained. "I learned...he's not the type of person he seemed to be. Even though he doesn't show it...he's a very good person. He just has some areas he needs to work on. Like his pride and ego."

The boy frowned a little. "Even if you say that...I still don't get it." He said. "How can a person like that make you happy?"

Kay shook her head. "I'm sorry." The boy stared at her. "I...have to go now."

* * *

It was later in the afternoon and the Domino High Students were still wandering around the city with friends and lovers. Kay wandered around by herself, irritated.

"Ugh, where the heck is everybody?! They didn't wait for me like I asked!" She grumbled. "They'd better have a good reason for this."

She figured it probably had something to do with Jounouchi. A lot of things seemed to be his fault lately. But then again it could have been anybody.

Kay's thought process and walking stopped when a small group of girls stopped her. They were pretty and seemed to be a mix of upperclassmen and people in the same grade as Kay. They were obviously from Domino High because of the female Domino High School uniforms they wore, like all the females on the class trip did.

"Kay Simms, right? Would you mind coming with us? We wanted to talk to you about something." One of the girls said, putting on a kind face.

Kay stared at them suspiciously.

"Um...sure." She mummered.

The group of girls led Kay into an empty alleyway. Once they reached a dead end, a couple of the girls threw Kay against the wall.  
"OW! What the-?! What's your problem?!" Kay snapped at the now glaring group of girls.

"We'll go straight to the point. Stop clinging to Seto Kaiba!" One of the girls snapped at Kay, pointing at her.

"C-Clinging?!" Kay asked, obviously not pleased with their choice of words.

"You heard us." Another girl said. "You've been clinging onto Seto Kaiba for a long time and we're sick of it!"

Kay glared angrily at the group.

"Okay, first off, I am NOT clinging to him! Second, if all you're gonna do is throw your annoying complaints at me, then I'm going to leave. I'm not in the mood to deal with this right now." She growled.

Kay was about to step around the group, but a few more girls blocked her path. "You're not going anywhere Kay Simms." One girl said, shoving Kay back against the wall.

"Don't push me. I don't want anyone getting hurt." Kay warned, furious.

"We're not afraid of your empty threats. And we're not going to let you leave until you agree to our conditions! Stop talking to Seto Kaiba and stop hanging around him!" The same girl commanded.

"I don't have to do what you say to leave! Ugh! I hate girl's like you! You're nothing but obsessed Kaiba fangirls!" Kay snapped. "Seto is my friend! I don't have to stop being friends with him just because you're all jealous!"

The group of girls looked annoyed at that comment. "We're not jealous! We're-"

"Yes, you are! You're jealous!" Kay cut the girl off. "If you want to be friends with Seto, try talking to him! Although I can't promise you'll gain any friendship out of him! He really doesn't care for girls that act like you all."

"Watch what you say, Simms." One girl said and held up a bag of trash. "If you don't agree to our conditions, then you can leave...smelling like you bathed in a dump!"

"You all are unbelievable!" Kay yelled. "Just a heads up; Seto isn't going to fall for any of you with the way you're acting!"

"What?! How dare you say something like tha-"

"It's true. I'm going to sound like a jerk saying this, but I know Seto better than all of you combined!" Kay growled. "And that's a fact. You girls know nothing about him. The most you all know about him is that he's good-looking, he's rich and he's the owner of a big company!"

"Don't assume such things!"

"I'm not! I've seen some of you girls eying him like he's some piece of meat! Even the way you guys talk about him! It disgusts me!"

"We've heard enough, Simms!" The girl with the trash snapped as two other girls grabbed Kay's arms, holding her in place. "Are you going to agree to our conditions or not?!"

"Heck no! You're all idiots if you think I'm going to agree to something stupid like that!" Kay snapped.

The girl frowned and opened the bag of trash before throwing it on Kay.

Knowing what was coming, Kay was about to dodge the worse of it, but she still ended up getting trash on her. The two girl's that were holding onto Kay got a little trash on them. They screamed and let Kay go, brushing themselves off.

"Don't think this'll be the last time, Simms. We'll find you again. Hopefully by then, you'll have changed your mind. Until then, I hope you learned your lesson!" One of the girls said before marching off with the group, the two other girls following.

Kay glared at them fiercely as they left. Once they were gone, she let out a cry of anger and punched a nearby wall, hard. She growled a few curse words.

"Stupid...idiotic girls!" She cried as tears grew in her eyes, mostly from the pain of punching the stone wall.

She continued to growl to herself as she removed any trash that was on her and left the alleyway. "Now I have to take a shower..."

* * *

Everyone was starting to gather at the hotel again.

"Guys...I'm really worried about Kay. We weren't able to find her anywhere!" Kristen said, looking very worried for her friend as the group of friends walked back to the hotel.

"It's all Jounouchi and Honda's fault! If you two didn't pull us all away for something else, then Kay would have been with us!" Anzu snapped, glaring at Jounouchi and Honda.

"Hey! Don't blame us!" Honda said.

"When food calls, it calls." Jounouchi said in his defense.

"That's a horrible excuse!" Anzu snapped. "You had lunch not to long ago when you two ran off!"

"We were still hungry!" Jounouchi said.

"Idiots!" Anzu growled.

"I'm really worried about Kay too...I hope she's okay." Cat said, looking down sadly. "One of us should have waited for her."

Atem put his arm around Cat's shoulder.

"It's okay. We'll find Kay. If we don't find her at the hotel, that's when we should start worrying." He said.

"That's true. Kay should be at the hotel." Yugi agreed.

Kaiba was silent the whole way.

The group finally had reached the hotel and the searched the area. They couldn't find her and it was almost dinner time.

"There's one last place we haven't looked yet." Kristen said. "Our room." She looked at Cat and Anzu.

"That's right. I'll bet that's where she is." Anzu said, nodding once.

"Let's go." Cat said.

The three girls headed up to their rooms while everyone else waited in the lobby.

Reaching their room, they unlocked the door and stepped in. To their relief, Kay was sitting on her bed, reading a book. She didn't bother to look up at them.

"Kay! Thank goodness, there you are!" Kristen breathed.

"We were do worried about you." Cat said.

Kay glanced at them from behind her book.

"If you all were so worried, then why did you guys leave me in the first place?" She asked, her voice cold.

"It was Jounouchi and Honda's fault. We're sorry about that." Anzu said. "At least one of use should have stayed behind. But at the time, we didn't have a choice."

"Hm." Kay said before looking back at her book. "I figured it was probably them."

"Is...everything all right, Kay? Are you still upset about us leaving you?" Kristen asked.

"No, that's fine. While I was looking for you all...I had an...eventful day." Kay replied, not looking up from her book.

Cat blinked and noticed her left hand wrapped up in bandages.  
"K-Kay...what happened to your hand?" She asked.

Kay glanced at the three from her book. "It was a part of my eventful day." She said and bookmarked her spot in her book before setting it down. "It's almost time for dinner right? I'll go with you." She stood up.

Cat, Kristen and Anzu looked at each other, worried.

* * *

Kay nearly dodged every question her friends threw at her about where she had been, what happened while they were separated and what happened to her hand. Kay didn't want to bother telling them what happened with the group of girls. She wished that she could pretend that nothing had happened. She was able to take a shower and wash away the smell the trash left on her earlier that day, but she couldn't hide the wound she gave herself when she punched the wall.

Even though everyone was trying to get a story out of her, Kaiba was silent the whole time. Kay's friends finally stopped asking questions when she showed signs of getting irritated with them.

Dinner was over and everyone was heading to the Hotel's hot springs to relax. Kay decided to pass. She wasn't surprised when Kaiba passed as well. He probably wanted to work on his laptop.

Kay sat in the lobby by herself, sighing and reading her book. This wasn't how she had hoped the first day of the class trip would be like. Hopefully she wouldn't have to deal with those girls for the rest of the trip. All she had to do was not be alone.

Turning the page of her book, Kay hardly noticed another person sit across from her.

"Okay. So you wouldn't tell the geek parade, I can understand that. But you realize that I want to hear the story, right?"

Kay looked up from her book. Kaiba was sitting across from her, staring at her seriously. Kay raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you?" She asked.

"I want to know." Kaiba simply said. "Whatever happened to you earlier today, caused you to get hurt."

"It's fine. It was my fault I got hurt anyways." Kay said.

"You're not usually the clumsy type, though." Kaiba said.

"Well, it happens."

"Just tell me."

"Why should I?"

"Because I asked you to."

"That's not an excuse."

Kaiba sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Please, can I get a story out of you?" He asked.

Kay pretended to look surprised.

"Did I just hear Seto Kaiba say "Please"? Seriously?" She asked.

"Drop the act." Kaiba mummered, not looking amused.

Kay sighed. "Fine, if it will get you to stop asking me." She mummered. "Earlier today, I ran into a group of your fangirls, they tried to get me to stop being with you, I refused, they threw trash on me, I punched the wall in anger and came back to the hotel to wash the smell off. There. Happy?"

Kaiba raised his eyebrow. "That's...quite a story." He said.

"Well, that's what happened." Kay said, bookmarking her book.

Kaiba sighed again and looked at her bandaged hand.

"I'm sorry." He mummered quietly.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry they did that to you." Kaiba said. "Did you let them off easy?"

"Oh. Well, two girls tried to make me hold still while another threw trash on me. I ended up getting the two girls covered in trash too." Kay grinned.

Kaiba's eyebrows were raised for a moment until he smirked.

"Ruthless as ever." He said and picked up her bandaged hand in his own. "Don't worry. I'll protect you from them." He leaned over and kissed her bandaged hand gently.

Kay blushed brightly and looked to the side, embarrassed.

"Y-Yeah, well...I can take care of myself!" She said.

Kaiba chuckled.

"Right. I'm going to protect you anyways. Because I want to." He said.

"Whatever. Do what you want." Kay grumbled.

After a short pause, the two shared a warm smile.

* * *

**Ah...this chapter was a little more dramatic than I thought...But I hope you all still enjoyed it!  
I wanted to focus more on Ryuuzashipping (KaibaXKay) this time. I still haven't decided what to do when its their turn...I'll keep thinking!  
Until then, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chappie! :D**


	64. To all the Heartbroken

"S-So...! You see...I...I've...always...liked you!"

A short girl with long, black hair and black eyes, blushed brightly as she stared at her feet.

She fidgeted.

"I...I-I, um...already know...th-that you have a...girl...friend...but..." The girl looked up, pleading. "If you'd give me a chance...! I...promise you won't be...d-disappointed..."

Atem looked at the shy girl in front of him. His eyes softened.

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid there is only one girl, who can have my heart." He said.

The girl looked back down, tears in her eyes.

"Whats...so special about her anyways? Is she that important to you that she makes you push everyone else away? You act like...like...she's the only reason you live! Like...you've waited millions of years for her! Its like you worship her! It's unhealthy!"

Atem blinked, surprised.

A sudden outburst? Maybe this girl wasn't as shy as she first seemed.

"She's just a normal girl! If...if you would only give me a chance then...everyday would be exciting! It would be fun! It would never be boring!" The girl pushed on. "I've liked you since you first arrived to Domino High! So...please..." Tears began to run down her eyes.

A wind blew by with the silence.

Atem sighed.

"I'm sorry..."

* * *

"I DON'T believe these children! We have students roaming around the building! There are boys in the girls' rooms and girl's in the boys' rooms! And some students had the nerves to sneak out!" A middle-aged teacher ranted.

"Mr. Shida...please calm down. They're teenagers. What did you expect?" One of the younger male teachers yawned.

"That DOESN'T make it right!" Mr. Shida continued to rant. "They should know better than that! Anyways, let's go! We need to find the students that snuck out of the building."

The other teacher sighed.

"Geez...I'm tired." He groaned.

"Stop complaining! It's our responsibility as teachers! Now lets go!" Mr. Shida scolded and marched off with the other teacher.

The teachers had all the students gather in two large rooms. The girls in one room and boys in another. It was to see who was still here and who wasn't. They were to stay there until all the students were found and gathered together.

Kay laid back on one of the soft sofa's next to Anzu and Kristen. All the girls were in their PJ's.

"Ugh! Stupid people! I wanna go to sleep! Whenever they find those students, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind for making me lose sleep!" She complained.

"It can't be helped." Anzu sighed.

Cat sat in a large soft chair next to them.

"Why would they do this anyways?" She asked.

"Oh? Did I forget to tell you?" Kay asked, glancing at Cat. "Not only are Class trips hotspots for love confessions. But also "first times"." She said.

"First times? Like...first kisses?" Cat asked.

"Yep. That and much more." Kay grinned.

Cat sweatdropped.

"I get it." She muttered.

Kay put her hands behind her head.

"Speaking of which...we got a lot of confessions today." She said looking up in thought. "Anzu got one...I got one...Kaiba got...geez...five? Yugi had three...Kristen had one...Cat, you didn't get any."

Cat leaned back on the chair and hugged her knees.

"Well...I didn't expect any." She said.

Kay grinned.

"I'll bet you'll get one tomorrow." She said. "Much to Jounouchi and Honda's...well...mostly Jounouchi's, dismay, they didn't get any confessions."

"I thought Jounouchi was still stuck on Mai?" Cat asked.

"I don't really know. I didn't ask him. But...whether he is or not, he just wants to brag that he's a "ladies man". You know Jounouchi." Kay said.

Anzu frowned a little.

"Yeah. That's Jounouchi. As stupid as ever." She said.

"Atem got a few too today, didn't he? He told us that at lunch earlier today. He said one was REALLY persistent. Who was it again?" Kay asked.

Anzu pointed at the girl with long black hair, sitting and talking with her friends.

"It was her." She pointed out.

Cat looked at the girl.

She was beautiful...but she seemed like the reserved type. Cat had a hard time imaging the girl as "persistent".

While Cat was still looking at the girl, the girl suddenly turned and looked at Cat.

Cat blinked in surprise and the girl suddenly shot a fierce glare at her. Cat stiffened up and quickly looked away.

"I-I don't think she likes me very much..." Cat said, freaked out.

"Don't be such a ditz, Cat. Of COURSE she doesn't like you. You're the girlfriend of the guy she likes. And you're most certianly the reason why she was shot down earlier today." Kay said casually.

"Ah...ah..." Cat said weakly.

"Don't let it get you down Cat. She'll get over it eventually." Kristen said.

"Yeah...I guess." Cat agreed, smiling weakly before she glanced at the girl again, who was still giving her a hard glare.

* * *

Jounouchi and Honda leaned against each other on the sofa as they slept and snored. Yugi slept quietly in a chair next to them. Kaiba was busy typing on a laptop in another chair.

Atem sat in a chair himself and was leaning his head against his hand as he glanced at his other friends.

Everyone was tired and they hated waiting in this room for students who decided to break the rules.

The other male students were either sleeping, chatting with one another or goofing off, playing pranks on the guys that were sleeping.

Atem was tired himself.

"_I wonder what the girls are doing..._" He wondered absently to himself. "_I wonder what Cat's doing...sleeping maybe..._"

He shut his eyes, his thoughts suddenly turning to the girl who had confessed her love to him earlier that day.

_"Whats...so special about her anyways? Is she that important to you that she makes you push everyone else away? You act like...like...she's the only reason you live! Like...you've waited millions of years for her! Its like you worship her! It's unhealthy!"_

There was a lot of things that were very special to Atem about Cat.

He couldn't agree that Cat made him "push people away".

But what the girl had said was partly true.

If it wasn't for his love for Cat...then...he would be in the afterlife right now. So...in a way...she was the main reason why he was alive right now.

A million years...thats a little over the top. The correct number was _3,000 years_. Not "a million".

He had waited 3,000 years for Cat. And the strange thing was...was that in his time as Pharaoh, he thought Luna was the only one for him.

Atem chuckled to himself quietly at how things had turned out.

But...Luna was merely the key...no...not the key...the guardian of the key, which led him to Cat. The silver cartouche was the key.

If it wasn't for the cartouche, things may have not turned out the way they did.

Atem kept his eyes closed as he remembered the first time the two had met.

How shy and meek she was... that smile...

"Hey...buddy! Wake up! HEY!"

Atem slowly opened his eyes. Jounouchi was shaking him.

"You awake pal? We're heading back to our rooms now." He said.

Atem sat up rubbed his face, sighing.

"Did I fall asleep?" He asked.

"Yeah. You must have been really tired, like us." Honda said.

"I see." Atem mummered.

"C'mon. Let's get back to our rooms and sleep more." Yugi yawned.

Atem stood up silently and followed his friends back to their rooms.

* * *

After breakfast, everyone head out either to the beach or marketplace for their last day of the class trip. Everyone was going to head back home to Domino at about 5:00 pm.

Through all the excitement, Cat found herself separated from all her friends.

She stood in the middle of the marketplace, sighing. She played with a pieces of her hair, which she had left down instead of a ponytail that day.

"Where did everyone go? Geez...its the last day of the class trip and I get lost. Not exactly the kind of day I had hoped for." She mummered to herself.

Without any destination, her feet began to walk while she looked around for any of her friends' familiar faces.

As she continued to walk, she discovered that she had wondered in a less popular area. Without her realizing.

Cat looked around.

"Great. Now I'm really lost." She sighed, a hopeless look on her face.

"Cat Tsuru!"

Cat looked over her shoulder to find the girl who had confessed her feelings to Atem. She was frowning at Cat.

"Ah...! You're...that girl from before." Cat said.

"My name is Mizuki!" The girl scoffed. "Not "girl"."

"Oh...sorry, I didn't realize-"

"Stop the act and just follow me!"

Mizuki turned and started to walk towards an ally. Cat wasn't sure if she should follow...but she did anyways. Maybe she just needed to ask her something?

Once the two were in the alleyway, Mizuki turned on Cat, her face fierce.

"Tell me. What's so special about you?" Mizuki asked angrily, putting her arms across her chest.

Cat blinked.

"What...? Nothing-"

"I SAID drop the act!" Mizuki snapped, cutting Cat off.

"I'm sorry, but what "act" are you talking about??" Cat asked.

"The way you're acting! You sit there and act like you're so sweet and innocent and cute! And you act like you're so clueless about everything! I hate girls like you!" Mizuki cried. "And you use that act to get your way and whatever you want!"

Cat held up her hands defensively.

"Whoa! Wait a minute! Don't just assume such things!" Cat said.

"I'm not assuming anything! How else could you have won Atem over?!" Mizuki yelled.

Cat stayed silent. She knew this was coming.

"I'm not acting." Cat muttered.

"You ARE! There's nothing special about you, so you have to go off and deceive everyone! But you're not fooling me! You're nothing but an evil, manipulating...!" Mizuki was so angry, she couldn't finish her sentence. Instead, she took a step towards Cat and slapped her as hard as she could.

The attack was strong enough to force Cat to fall backwards, landing on her bottom.

Mizuki glared down at Cat, tears at the corners of her eyes. Cat pressed her hand against her cheek, where she was slapped.

After a moment of silence between the two, Mizuki finally fell to her knees and cried, covering her face with her hands.

"I hate you...I HATE YOU!" Mizuki sobbed.

Cat stared at the girl in front of her. There was silence and the only thing that could be heard was Mizuki's sobs.

It stayed that way for a moment.

Cat felt her own tears well up in her eyes.

* * *

"Ouch!"

Everyone looked at Atem.

"Good job, whacking your arm against that pole, Atem." Kay said, her eyelids lowering in sarcasm.

Atem rubbed his arm.

"Thanks." He muttered, returning the sarcasm.

Jounouchi laughed.

"That was very clumsy of you. You never do things like that. Maybe Cat got hurt somewhere." He laughed.

"Maybe she did. You know, I heard once that when two people share a really close bond, even if they're far apart, if one of them gets hurt the other person feels pain too." Honda said, trying to sound like he knew what he was talking about.

"In that case, maybe what we said earlier came true and she got hit by a bus!" Jounouchi joked.

Atem glared at Jounouchi.

"Remember what I said about not even joking about something like that?" He growled.

Anzu smacked Jounouchi over the head, hard.

"He's right! Don't be stupid!" She snapped.

"OW! Why do you always have to hit me, Anzu?!" Jounouchi snapped, holding his head painfully.

"Because you always deserve it!" Anzu replied loudly.

Again, the two began to bicker.

"They fight a lot don't they?" Kristen mummered.

Yugi laughed weakly.

"Yeah. We should be pretty used to it by now." He said.

"Even though what Jounouchi said is most likely not the case, it is possible. Cat's my friend and all, but she spaces out easily." Kay said. "We'd better continue to look for her and make sure she's okay."

"Yeah, good idea." Yugi said.

"Hehe, too bad this isn't like Battle City. Because then Kaiba could just find her through his satellite system." Kay giggled.

"Are you suggesting I implant a tracking device into Cat?" Kaiba asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe." Kay said, glancing to the side. "Either that or we should put her on a leash." She paused. "Jounouchi needs a leash too while we're at it."

"HEY!" Jounouchi yelled.

* * *

"_I HATE YOU!_"

Cat rubbed the sore spot on her cheek as she continued on her journey to find her friends.

"Maybe it would have been a good idea to bring my cell phone with me." She muttered absently.

Sighing, she remembered Mizuki. After the two went their separate ways, Cat took a moment to cry. Not only because of the pain in her cheek, but also because there was a mix of anger and pity inside of her.

She was angry that Mizuki had slapped her but...she couldn't help but feel a little bad for her. Only because Cat knew the feeling of being heartbroken was a terrible and crushing feeling. It was a feeling that could hardly be described.

She sighed again.

"Well...I know Mizuki will find love someday. All heartbroken people will." She said to herself, not removing her hand from her cheek.

Cat smiled when she thought of Atem.

"Even I did..."

"Cat!"

Cat stopped and looked around. Did someone just call her name?

"CAT!"

Where?

"CccaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT!!!"

"KYAH!"

Cat was nearly knocked over by Kay, who had ran to Cat full speed before practically tackling the clueless girl.

"There you are! GEEZ woman! I swear we were looking under every rock to find you!" Kay exclaimed, letting go of Cat.

"Oh...uh...sorry?" Cat said, smiling weakly.

"Whatever. At least we found you." Kay said just as everyone had finally caught up with the blond.

"Cat...there you are. I was worried." Atem breathed as he approached Cat with relief.

"Yeah, anyone would be worried after all the terrible possibilities that Jounouchi brought up." Honda said, glancing at Jounouchi.

Jounouchi frowned.

"Hey! She COULD have fallen into the ocean! She COULD have been hit by a bus! She COULD ha-"

Anzu and Kristen quickly slapped a hand over Jounouchi's mouth.

"That's quite enough Jounouchi. We get the point." Anzu said, irritated.

Jounouchi struggled to try and get Kristen and Anzu's hands off of his mouth.

Atem chuckled.

"Well...its true that Jounouchi's assumptions didn't help much. But..." His voice trailed off and his smile disappeared. "Cat? What happened to your face?"

"Eh?" Cat blinked and realized that her cheek was probably still red from the earlier attack. "Oh...this?" She asked, placing her hand on her cheek.

"Uh-oh. Cat, that didn't happen to you because I tackled you, right?" Kay asked.

Cat shook her head.

"No. I...just got slapped is all." She replied.

"Slapped?" Atem repeated. "Why? Who?"

Cat shook her head again.

"It doesn't matter." She said.

Atem placed her hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes sternly.

"No, it DOES matter. Who attacked you?" He asked.

Cat remained silent.

"Hey, we can discuss it later. Right now, I think we should probably put some ice on her cheek. It'll probably feel better after that." Yugi said.

"Yeah. C'mon you two." Kay agreed.

Atem didn't move until he let go of her shoulders and, instead, wrapped his arm around her waist tightly and followed their friends, pulling Cat along.

Cat sighed once more and glanced up at Atem.

"_He's going to want to hear the story. But...even though I'm still not happy with Mizuki...she was just rejected by Atem recently. If I tell him that she slapped me, then he might go and confront her. And that would only rub salt in the wound, right? Sigh...I'd better think up an excuse._" She thought to herself.

* * *

Everyone sat around a table in the marketplace. They had all stopped for drinks and to get a small bag of ice for Cat.

Cat held the bag of ice to her cheek while she silently sipped the juice she bought. Everyone was fairly quiet at the table. Their eyes would occasionally glance back at Atem, who hadn't said a word since he asked Cat who hurt her.

He had bought water and hardly paid attention to it. Instead, he paid attention to the piece of Cat's hair he was playing with, leaning against the table with his elbow and resting his head in his hand.

Cat did her best to not make eye contact with him, for she was still trying to think up a good excuse.

"AUGH! Somebody start a conversation or somethin'! The silence is killin' me!" Jounouchi finally snapped, breaking the silence.

"Sorry Jounouchi. The air has been kind of tense since we came here." Honda said simply, glancing at Atem to prove his point.

"Only because the Pharaoh has been sulking ever since Cat refused to say anything." Kaiba pointed out, looking rather bored.

"Yeah, and I think he's in his own world, ignoring us." Kay said, playing with her straw. "Cat, why don't you just tell him and us what happened so Atem will stop pouting?"

"Um..." Cat mummbled. She didn't have a good excuse for her other friends either. "C...C-can I...just tell you on the way home...?"

Everyone blinked and Kay would about to say something until Atem cut in.

"That's fine." He said, not stopping what he was doing.

Kay did an overly dramatic gasp.  
"I don't believe this! H-he SPOKE!" She cried, pretending to be shocked.

Atem ignored Kay's pretend overly dramatic moment and continued. "Just as long as you tell me what happened. You know I hate it when you get hurt."

Cat looked down sheepishly at her drink.

"I-I know." She muttered.

Anzu looked at her watch.

"Well...since that's settled, we should probably head out if we want to play around before we have to pack up and leave. We have a few hours left before we have to return to the hotel." She reported.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go guys." Yugi said, smiling.

Everyone nodded.

* * *

"Man...I don't want the class trip to be over yet!" Jounouchi complained, slouching in his seat.

"I know. But it was fun anyways, right?" Yugi pointed out.

"Yeah. It was." Jounouchi agreed.

Everyone was on their way back to Domino City; riding the bus home. The seats that everyone had sat in on the way to the beach, were the seats they were to sit in again.

Some of the students were sleeping while others either sat quietly or chatted with their other friends.

Honda was sleeping while Anzu read a book. She occasionally nudged Honda as a sign that she wanted him to stop snoring.

Jounouchi, Kristen and Yugi chatted with each other.

And Kay had fallen asleep against Kaiba's shoulder while he worked on his laptop.

Cat sat silently in her seat, staring out the window.

"So?"

Cat looked at Atem, who was staring at her.

"So...what?" Cat asked.

"Are you going to tell me now?" Atem asked.

Cat sweatdropped.  
"_He...he remembered..._" She thought to herself.

Everyone had fun after they had left the drink shop, and the red mark on Cat's cheek had eventually gone away with time.

"Well?"

Cat sighed.

"When...I was separated from everyone...I ran into Mizuki...and she was very angry at me. She yelled at me for a while before slapping me." She explained obediently.

Atem was silent.

"Mizuki...the girl that confessed to me the day before?" He asked. Cat nodded slowly.

"But...please don't bring it up with her or scold her." Cat added in. "I mean...I figured that...since you rejected her, she was in enough pain...and...well...you know."

Atem smiled and turned her head to face him.

"I understand. Thank you for telling me. To tell the truth, I wouldn't have confronted Mizuki anyways. Even though I'm certainly not happy with her, for slapping you." He said calmly.

Cat smiled weakly.

"Ah...I-I...didn't say anything at first because I was worried you were going to confront her...or...something." She admitted.

Atem chuckled.

"Don't worry." He said. "Cat, its sweet of you consider other people's feelings. Even if they did you wrong. I guess thats one of the many reasons why I love you."

Cat blushed a little and laughed weakly.

"O-oh...?" Was all she could say.

Atem chuckled again before kissing her gently on the lips.

Once they pulled away Cat blushed more before leaning against Atem's shoulder.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to being kissed." She sighed.

Atem laughed lightly, wrapping an arm around her.

"That's all right. You have a cute blush." He said.

Cat didn't reply as she buried her face in his shoulder.

* * *

**...**

**....*dodges bricks* I'M SORRY!  
Yes, I know...this chapter is hardly changed at all. I had some ideas, but I decided not to go through with them...plus I wasn't feeling all that great last night so...yeah.  
But I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyways! See you next chappie! :D  
**


	65. Small Beginnings

"Hey...Atem...I've been wondering." Cat mummered, tapping her fingers against the table.

"Hm?"

Cat and Atem were at Cat's apartment. They were sitting at the living room table and had just finished a movie.

"There's something I've always been curious about. Do you...remember your childhood?" Cat asked.

Atem thought for a moment. "Yes, I little." He replied.

"Do you remember the time when you and Luna first met?" Cat asked.

Atem blinked in surprise and thought for a while longer.  
"I...I think I do." He replied, still trying to remember everything.

Cat smiled. "So then...can you tell me about it?" She asked.

Atem smiled weakly. "Well...I'm not sure if I remember everything, but I'll try." He replied.

* * *

"But...father...how come I can't stay home and play with Mana and Mahaado?"

The Pharaoh Aknamkanon, glanced down at his son, Atem.

Atem, who was currently only at the age of seven, looked up at his father with pleading eyes.

The Pharaoh and his son were traveling on a boat to a neighboring kingdom. The Pharaoh wanted to form an alliance with the King of that kingdom. They were going to stay in that kingdom for a week.

Aknamkanon chuckled.

"I already told you Atem. This will be a good experience for you. You who is to be the next Pharaoh. The King of Egypt." He explained with a smile.

Atem pouted a little and shifted his eyes to the side.

"But...I won't have any fun." He mummbled.

Aknamkanon patted his son's head.

"Sure you will. The King we're visiting has a daughter. She's two years younger than you, but I'm sure you can play with her." He said.

Atem still pouted a little.

"Look son." Aknamkanon said, glancing at the upcoming shore. Atem glanced towards the shore while his father picked up him and sat him on his lap. "We have finally reached the Celestial Kingdom."

Atem stared in awe.

The land they were approaching was nothing like the sands of Egypt! The land they were approaching was full of life! Many pale buildings occupied the land along with many green trees, grass, crops, plants and flowers. Many animals were present too. People were busy working and Children played along the shore. Atem thought it was strange, how they all had pale skin. Back in Egypt, everyone's skin was tan!

While Atem continued to scan the area, he couldn't help but notice the large mountains looming over the small city. And the larger trees that almost seemed to hide most of the buildings.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Aknamkanon said. Atem nodded.

"But it's so odd...I've never seen any place like this." He said.

Aknamkanon chuckled again.

"Yes, you wouldn't find a place like this in the desert." He laughed. "Now look son. Over there."

Aknamkanon pointed to the left, into the distance. Atem followed his father's gaze and spotted a large palace! It seemed to have the largest mountains protecting it.

The palace was white and gold and beautiful. It was no palace that Atem had ever seen.

Atem was still staring at the palace in awe when the boat finally docked.

"We are ready to go, my Pharaoh." One of the Egyptian guards on the boat said to Aknamkanon.

"Thank you." Aknamkanon said, setting Atem down and standing up. "Come Atem. Let us meet with our future allies."

Atem took his father's hand and they stepped off the boat.

* * *

"Well met, Pharaoh Aknamkanon."

Atem snapped out of his trance at that sentence. They had finally reached the palace. On their way, Atem was too busy examining the city. As they walked through the city streets, people stared at them and some talked among themselves while looking at them. But the buildings were simple and white. It was a small, yet busy city with many people and animals. Of course, not as many as the city of Egypt.

But one thing Atem couldn't help but notice was the many golden crescent moon symbols all through-out the city. When he glanced up at the large doorway, he saw another! There was one large golden Crescent Moon that was sitting on top of the small roof that hovered over the doorway. It shined brightly under the sun.

"Well met indeed, King Artemis." Aknamkanon returned when he approached him.

Artemis looked down at Atem, who was still looking around, and smiled.

"I see you brought your son." He said. "My daughter is in the courtyard. I'm sure they'll become good friends."

Atem finally looked up at King Artemis. He was tall and had a ruff yet kind looking face with green eyes and a brown beard. His skin was pale and the pale, white, long robes he wore almost matched his skin.

Over his head, he wore a white hat with the golden crescent moon symbol on it.

"Come my friend. We can leave your son with my daughter to play while we discuss matters in the dining room." Artemis offered.

Pharaoh Aknamkanon smiled.

"Of course." He said and began to follow Artemis as he walked into the palace. Atem continued to hold onto his father's hand nervously.

The inside of the palace was just as beautiful as the outside. There were lovely carvings on the walls, different from the Egyptian hieroglyphics Atem was used to. The palace seemed to be made of marble and white, smooth stone. There was also gold and silver decorated in the walls and carvings and such.

It was a moment until they finally reached the courtyard. Atem scanned the area. There was green grass and trees all over. A white stone fountain was nearby, flowing with crystal clear water. Around the area, there were guards standing around, watching the area.

"Excuse me for a moment Pharaoh, while I bring my daughter over. I shall introduce her to you." Artemis said before descending the steps that led to the courtyard.

"So then, my son. What do you think of this Kingdom?" Aknamkanon asked when Artemis left.

"It seems very wealthy, father." Atem replied. "But it's a beautiful kingdom."

"Yes, indeed it is. But sadly they are weak at war. That is one of the reasons why the King and I have decided to create an alliance. For if they need it, we can provide help and protection in battle." Aknamkanon explained. "That and the King here is a friend of mine."

Atem looked up at his father.

"I apologize for the wait."

Atem's attention was returned to Artemis, who was approaching them. Atem felt confused. He said he was going to bring his daughter over here...but he came back alone.

Aknamkanon chuckled. "She's very shy." He said, smiling.

"Yes. My daughter has always been like that." Artemis said with his own smile and looked down at someone behind him. "Luna. Come out from hiding and say hello to our guests."

Atem watched. For a little while, nothing happened. All of the sudden, a tiny hand reached out from behind Artemis and gripped the side of his robe. Atem blinked in surprise and let go of his father's hand to lean over and try to get a better look.

Slowly, a small head peeked out from behind King Artemis.

The girl's skin was pale, like her father's and her eyes were a sky blue. Atem couldn't get a very good view, but she had light brown hair that was pulled up into a tiny ponytail, held together by a gold ring of sorts.

Her bangs were split and hung down the sides of her face. A small blue gem rested on her forehead, held up by a small chain that disappeared in her hair.

That was all Atem could see.

"Luna, don't be shy. These are our friends. Come on out from behind me." Artemis said and gently nudged Luna to stand in front of him. Once he succeeded, Luna's cheeks turned a pale pink and she stared at her feet.

"_Hmph. She really is shy._" Atem thought to himself as he examined the child in front of him.

Luna seemed slightly smaller for her age, making her look frail. And making her shorter than Atem; her head only reaching his upper torso.

She wore a small tube-top like shirt that had the familiar golden crescent moon on it. A cloth was wrapped around her waist, covering the top of her skirt. The skirt ended just below her knees and was split. It only covered the front and the back.

Her shoes, which she was staring at, were similar to Atem's. They were slipper-like shoes.

The whole outfit she wore was white and light blue.

Luna fidgeted nervously, not removing her eyes from the ground.

"Pharaoh Aknamkanon. Prince Atem. This is my daughter, Princess Luna. She's only five years of age." Artemis introduced. "You'll have to forgive her. She's very shy."

Aknamkanon laughed lightly.

"She is quite the shy one, isn't she? But she's quite cute." He said.

Luna fidgeted a second more before slowly glancing up at Atem and Aknamkanon.

"H-Hello...pleased to meet you." She said in a soft voice.

Atem stared at her.

"_Hm. So she can talk._" He thought to himself before glancing to the side, feeling a little bored.

Aknamkanon looked down at Atem.

"Atem...Artemis and I have matters to discuss. I'm going to leave you here in the courtyard. Maybe you can play with Luna." He said.

Atem made a face.

"But she's too shy. It won't be like playing with Mahaado and Mana." He mummered.

"Son...you cannot expect everyone to be the same. You never know. You may come to find that Luna isn't so bad. Just remember to be kind." Aknamkanon said to Atem after kneeling down to his level. He turned to look at Luna. "Luna. It's very nice to meet you. This is my son, Atem. He'll be in the courtyard most of the day. I hope you two can become friends."

Luna didn't say anything.

Aknamkanon stood up straight again.

"Shall we go? Follow me." Artemis said, walking back into the palace. Aknamkanon followed, leaving the two children by themselves.

Atem and Luna stood there in awkward silence. Luna glanced up at Atem. When their eyes met Luna quickly turned and ran back into the courtyard.

"Um...!" Atem had his arm stretched out, wanting to stop her, but she was already gone. He sighed and let his arm drop. "I knew this place wasn't going to be any fun." He mummered before he slowly walked down the stairs into the courtyard.

* * *

A soft breeze rustled the tree leaves. Atem sat against a tree trunk in the shade, picking at a random branch he found. He was bored out of his mind. He sighed.

"I wish my friends were here. Why did father bring me here anyways? There's no one to play with."

He sighed again, tossing the branch aside and leaning up against the tree, looking up at the sky.

"I wonder if something exciting will happen..."

He slowly shut his eyes.

"PRINCESS!"

The scream caused his eyes to snap back open and lean forward in surprise.

"Princess Luna!! That's not safe!! Please get down!"

Atem looked around. Not too far off, one of the caretakers of Luna stood at a large tree. She was looking up into it with a scared look on her face. What was going on?

Following the woman's gaze, he spotted Luna on one of the higher tree branches! Atem jaw dropped in surprise. How did she manage to climb up there?

"Luna! Please listen to me!" The caretaker cried.

"I'm fine!" Luna called back. "I always climb this tree!"

Luna was about to continue her climb until her foot suddenly slipped on a branch! She cried out in surprise and fell a little before catching another branch.

Atem gasped and quickly stood up. The branch she was clinging onto didn't have any other branches under it for her to stand on.

"_I-If she falls from that height, she'll be seriously injured! Or worse..._" Atem thought to himself and began to rush over to where she was.

Luna kicked her small legs around, trying to climb onto the branch, but it was no use. Her grip was slipping.

The caretaker cried out in fear and covered her face with her hands, fearing the worst. The young Princess let out a scream as she lost her grip. But instead of hitting the ground like expected, Atem quickly caught her, knocking them both to the ground.

The caretaker slowly uncovered her eyes and gasped.

"P-Prince Atem! Are you alright?" She cried.

Atem ignored the woman, slowly sitting up painfully. Tears welled up in his eyes from the pain of being knocked down. But he quickly shook his head and wipes the tears away before they had a chance. No time to cry. He had to make sure Luna was okay!

He looked down at Luna who was laying on his lap and slowly sitting up herself. She looked up at Atem.

Atem placed a hand on her head.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Luna stared at him a second longer before big tears welled up in her eyes. She began to cry and hugged Atem tightly.

Dumbfounded, Atem stared at her. He blinked a few times. Did she hurt herself when she fell on him? Or was she just scared?

The caretaker walked over and kneeled next to the two.

"You two are okay, right?" She asked.  
Atem looked at her.

"Yes...I think so." He replied.

The woman sighed in relief.

"Good." She smiled, looking at Luna. "I've never seen her warm up to someone so quickly. It must be because you saved her."

Atem returned his attention to Luna, staring at her for a moment more before putting his hand on her head again.

"Poor girl...she must be shaken up." The caretaker said. "Prince Atem...you don't mind looking after Luna for a moment, do you? I'll go get some fruit for you two."

"Okay." Atem said.

Once the caretaker left, Atem looked back at Luna. She was still crying and hugging him tightly.

Smiling a little, he patted her head gently.

* * *

"Aaaaatteeeeemmm!!"

Atem looked up from the scribbles he was making in the dirt.

It was only yesterday that Luna had fallen from the tree. After scolding his daughter, Artemis thanked Atem for his help.

Luckily no one was injured. Although Atem's ribs ached for the rest of the day.

It was another sunny and warm day. Aknamkanon and Artemis had more business to attend to. So naturally, they left Atem in the courtyard to play.

Atem was bored as usual and was scribbling in the dirt until his name was called.

Luna ran up to him, smiling brightly.

"Luna? Um...hi." Atem said, confused as to why she coming up to him like this so suddenly.

"Atem, why are you all alone?" Luna asked, hands behind her back. "Come and play with me."

Atem blinked in surprise. What happened to all her shyness from yesterday?

Luna waited a moment before her smile turned into confusion. She tilted her head.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Atem murmmered. "So...what do you for fun?"

Luna's smile returned.

"You really want to know?" She asked.

Atem smiled weakly.

"Well...yes." He answered.

Luna's smile grew and looked around, to make sure no one was nearby. She leaned over and whispered.

"I like to play pranks on my personal guard and some of the other guards."

Atem looked dumbfounded and surprised. He blinked a few times.

That's what he used to do with his friends back in Egypt. It was surprising that Luna did the same thing...she didn't seem like that kind of person.

Never-the-less, Atem grinned.

"Sounds fun!" He said.

"Okay! Let's go!" Luna said happily.

Atem stood up and followed Luna.

Maybe becoming friends with her wasn't going to be impossible as he first thought.

* * *

**Ok, so the story behind this chapter is...**

**Well...this chapter was originally going to be a bonus story in the old version of Eternal Snow. But I didn't finish it before I started writing the revised version of Eternal Snow. I liked how the story was turning out, so I decided to add it in here and finish it.  
Atem and Luna meeting while they were still children is something I added into one of Luna's profiles on an art site. Although the profile isn't there anymore.  
Outside of that, their childhood meeting was unknown. So I thought I would write about it. **

**What happens when Atem and Luna get older will be revealed later. And there is a chance that I will change how they met again when they grew up.**

**I tried to keep Atem in character from how I have seen him when he was a child. (In the anime) It's hard because we didn't see him very much as a child. Eh-heh...  
All I know is that he really wasn't all that strong/tough and brave like he became when he grew up. He was very kind and caring towards others and...he cried a lot. lol He was an adorable child. :D  
But outside that knowledge, I tried to give him the normal attitiude of a child. Sooo yup.**

**Hehe, long A/N. Sorry about that...  
**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D  
**


	66. An Old Story

Pharaoh Aknamkanon raised an eyebrow at his son as they sat on the boat.  
They were on their way home from the Celestial Kingdom.

"I'm surprised, Atem. You didn't want to come at first...and now you're hesitent to leave?" He asked.

Atem looked a little upset.

"I...made a new friend." He said.

Aknamkanon laughed. "I understand son. I'm sure you and Luna will meet again someday." He said.

Atem smiled.

"Yes. And someday, I'll make her my queen!" He said with a determined looked.

Aknamkanon stared at his son, blinking for a moment before he burst into laughter. Atem looked at him, confused. Aknamkanon ruffled Atem's hair a little. "Of course. But you're a little young to be making such decisions. We'll see what the future holds." He chuckled.

Atem smiled again and nodded.

* * *

The sharp sound of skin meeting skin, echoed through the palace.

A young man with shaggy bronze hair and black eyes stood there. He wore a cream colored tunic and brown sandals, arm cuffs and belts. He was very muscular looking and was in his early twenties.

His head was turned to the side and a spot on his cheek was red, pulsing painfully from the impact.

"I already told you...I don't want to be with you, Koe."

The voice came from a young girl who was 16 years of age. She stood in front of the man. The man, Koe, turned his head back around and looked at the girl, frowning.

"Your father, the King, has approved. I'm sorry you don't like it, but we are to be married soon...Luna." He said.

Luna was now grown up. She didn't change much from when she was a child. Her outfit was close to the same. The only thing different about her was that her hair had grown longer. It ended around her waist.

"Even so, I refuse to be with you!" Luna said before turning around and marching off.

Koe was Luna's personal guard and he had recently asked King Artemis, Luna's father, for Luna's hand in marriage. Her father approved of it, but Luna did not. She didn't love Koe and she refused to marry someone she didn't love.

"Father!" Luna cried, marching into the throne room where her father sat. "Will you please call off the wedding?! I don't love Koe! I don't want to be forced to wed him!"

Artemis looked at his daughter and frowned.

"Luna. It's already been decided. You will wed Koe and he will become King." He said.

"Father!" Luna tried to protest.

"Hold your tongue!" Artemis shouted, silencing Luna. "I will hear no more of this! You will wed Koe in three days! If you continue to resist, then I am not afraid to have you locked up until your wedding day! Is that clear?!"

Luna bit her lip and frowned at the floor, nodding slowly.

"Good. Now, return to your chambers." Artemis said and returned to what he was doing as Luna walked back to her room.

"_Father believes that Koe is a kind and respectable man...but he's wrong. He's a selfish, rude and vile man. I refuse to marry him. No matter what._" Luna thought to herself, frowning.

* * *

The scorching heat pounded against Luna's head as she stepped out into the Egyptian desert. It had been a day since she had ran away from her kingdom and took a boat to Egypt.

Over her normal clothes, she wore a white cloak and wore the hood that came with it.

Luna took a deep breath and started walking into the desert. She had a bag with her under her cloak and some water, prepared for the heat and sand.

"_I only want freedom...Egypt should be a safe place to go. They share an alliance with my kingdom._" She thought to herself.

She remembered the meeting for the alliance happened, but she couldn't remember any of the Egyptians...she was too young at the time. She hoped that they would help her.

A few hours passed as she continued on. She was very tired and very hot. Stopping, she drank some more water and wiped some sweat off her forehead. "I hope I'll find the city of Egypt soon." She panted. "I won't make if it takes any longer to find."

Sighing, she took a few more steps forward before stopping again. There was something in the distance...a large cloud of sorts. Luna squinted to try and identify the cloud. A sandstorm! She gasped. It was coming very quickly. She couldn't escape! All she could do was brace herself.

When the sandstorm hit Luna, her screams echoed through the desert.

* * *

"My Pharaoh..." A man bowed down on his knee in front of another man, sitting on a throne. "A young girl was found in the desert by one of your people. They wish to offer her to you as a gift. A servant."

The Pharaoh cocked an eyebrow. "Priest Seth, I'm afraid I cannot accept if he wishes to turn her into a servant. The girl still has her freedom, no matter where they found her." He said. The Pharaoh's voice was deep and strong.

Priest Seth, the holder of the Millennium Rod, glanced up at the Pharaoh.

"The girl barely survived a sandstorm and was unconscious when she was found. The man who found her believes that she may not be right in the head because of the sandstorm and desert heat. He's offering her to you because he feels that she cannot live on her own." He explained. "She's obviously from another land, but she claims to be royalty. The fact that she's claiming such a thing is why the man believes she is insane. Royalty would not be roaming the desert on their own."

"I see." The Pharaoh mummered. "That's true...a Princess or Queen would not be wondering the desert alone." He waved his hand. "That's fine. Bring her here."

Priest Seth bowed his head again and left the throne room to find the man.

The Pharaoh sighed and leaned back into his chair. "Atem...what have you gotten yourself into?" He mummered to himself.

Indeed, it was Atem. He had grown up and looked similar to how he looked as a child; but more adult and man-like.

His eyes were sharper and he was unofficially the King of Egypt. The ceremony of the Pharaoh's had not taken place yet. But Atem's father was dead and somebody needed to take the throne. Being the only heir, it was Atem's job.

Atem wore all sorts of jewelry and a crown. He had a blue-violet cape and wore a cream colored tunic, along with arm cuffs on his wrists, upper arms, neck, waist and legs. Among that he wore two earrings on each ear and around his neck was the Millennium Puzzle.

He waited for a while, until Seth returned with the Luna following behind him. She was still wearing her cloak and hood. But she looked slightly dirty from the sand.

"Here she is, Pharaoh." Seth said, bowing his head.

Hesitantly, Luna removed the hood from her head. No one noticed, but a small, silent gasp escaped from Atem's lips.

"_L...Luna..._" He thought to himself. He almost recognized her immediately. The Princess from the Celestial Kingdom.

"Seth. Please leave. I wish to speak to this girl alone." Atem said. Seth bowed and obeyed, leaving the throne room.

Once the two were alone, Atem stood up and stepped down from his throne, approaching Luna.

Luna glanced up at him nervously.

Atem smiled kindly. "Luna...how did you get here?" He asked.

Luna blinked, looking completely confused. "How...how did you know my name, Pharaoh?" She asked.

Atem looked surprised. Does Luna not remember him? Disappointment crossed his face for a moment.

"We've met before." Atem said simply. "You still did not answer my question."

"O-Oh...sorry." Luna mummered, briefly trying to remember if she really did meet Atem or not. "I arrived by boat. I came here to ask a request."

"A request?" Atem asked, surprise returning to his face. "What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Luna gathered her courage to explain the situation. Hopefully, he wouldn't refuse.

"I...I ran away from my kingdom." She began. Atem, again, looked surprised at those words, but continued to wait and hear the rest of her story. "My father...was trying to force me to wed a terrible man. I didn't want that, so I left. I was hoping I could stay hidden here for a little while."

Atem thought for a moment. While he was doing this, Luna examined him a little. The Pharaoh in front of her couldn't have been the Pharaoh that had met with her father to create the alliance between the two kingdoms many years ago. The man in front of her was only a few years older than her.

"_It must have been his father that met with my father._" Luna thought to herself. "_But...in a distant way...he does look familiar somehow..._"

"Alright Luna. You may stay." Atem said, snapping Luna out of her thoughts. "But if you are to remain hidden, that means that you would have to stay within the palace walls. Are you alright with that?" Luna nodded. "Okay then. Follow me."

Obeying, Luna followed Atem through the palace hallways. They climbed a few stairs and walked down some more hallways before they finally reached a room. Opening the door, Atem stepped in, beckoning Luna to follow.

"Since this room is unused, it shall be your chambers." Atem said. Luna gasped silently. It was a large and nice room. There was a bed, a small balcony with curtains in front of the entrance, rugs and other things that decorated the room. Not to mention, it was clean and well kept.

"I will assign a few servants to attend to your needs. I will also have a few of my people bring in some clothes for you to wear." Atem continued. "The only people who will know about your existence here in Egypt, are the people within the palace."

"I understand. Thank you very much." Luna said with a small smile.

"You're welcome. I have some things I need to take care of, so feel free to rest." Atem said before turning and stepping out the door.

"W-Wait! Um...I don't even know of your name yet." Luna said.

Atem stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. He smiled mysteriously.

"A Pharaoh's name is sacred and shouldn't be given out to just anyone." He said. "Besides...you already know my name."

With that, Atem shut the door behind him and left the area, leaving Luna standing in her chambers alone...and confused.

* * *

The next day was a peaceful day.

Luna took this chance to explore the palace.

The servants Atem assigned to Luna brought her new clothes to wear. The clothes were different than what she was used to, but it was expected. She was going to dress like an Egyptian.

She was now wearing flat shoes, a long white dress with a slits on both sides of her dress that went all the way up to her hips, golden arm cuffs that were around her upper arms. The golden arm cuffs around her neck had two each. While the ones on her wrists, legs and waist had three each. The ones on her legs started at her ankles. She also wore a small golden chest plate around her neck.

Also, on her forehead was a small tiara that held a blue jewel that she had always worn since she was a child. On her ears, there were golden earrings that hung down and were shaped like wings. And lastly, her hair was still in a ponytail, only this time, it was being held up by a golden cuff of sorts that held her hair a little higher off her head.

She smiled calmly as she walked through the courtyard. It was a beautiful place. She stopped when a tree nearby rustled suddenly. Without warning, a girl suddenly leaped out of the tree, landing nimbly in front of Luna.

Luna cried out in surprise and jumped back.

"Ah! I finally found you!"

A girl stood in front of Luna, grinning.

The girl had tan skin and dark brown hair that was slightly flared out at the ends. She wore a strange hat that didn't cover her head completely. She wore some golden jewelry and a short, cream dress with matching shoes. Her eyes were green. The girl looked about Luna's age.

Luna still looked a little startled. "W-Who...are you...?" She asked slowly.

The girl smiled brightly. "My name is Mana!" She giggled. "I've been a friend of the Pharaoh's ever since we were little! He told me about you! Nice to finally meet you!"

"He...told me about you?" Luna asked, blinking.

"Yup! Years and years ago, there was a time where he would constantly talk about you." Mana said. "Although I didn't think I would have to wait 11 years to meet you."

Luna looked more confused than ever. Mana noticed this.

"What's that confused look for? Surely you remember the time you and the Pharaoh met...right?" She asked.

Luna sighed and shook her head. "No...I don't recall ever meeting him before." She answered.

Mana's jaw dropped.

"How could you forget?" She asked and grabbed Luna's shoulders, shaking her a little. "Try to remember!"

"Mana, don't torture the poor girl."

Mana stopped and looked over her shoulder at a man and a woman approaching them.

"Khephera...Mahaado..." Mana mummered.

Khephera's skin was pale and her hair was very long, ending at her waist. She was dark blond and her eyes were an emerald green.

She wore a blue jewel on her forehead and a creme colored dress with flat shoes.

She also had arm cuffs and her dress had long sleeves. Along with those, she had a blue choker and blue jewel earrings.

Khephera looked around Luna's age.

The man, Mahaado, had tan skin and long brown hair. Although he wore a cream and gold hat over his head.

His robes were also cream colored and long. He wore a few golden items. His eyes were black.

He looked fairly strong and slightly older than Luna. But still young.

Mahaado looked down at Mana sternly. "You know better than that, Mana! Luna is our guest and she's royalty. Treat her kindly." He scolded.

Mana pouted a little.

"I'm sorry about that. Mana gets too hyper for her own good sometimes." Khephera said, approaching Luna. "I'm a Priestess here in the Palace. It's nice to meet you. I'm Khephera."

Luna smiled weakly. "N-Nice to meet you." She said.

"The man over there is Mahaado. He's one of the High Priests and one of the, if the not the best, Magician in the world. Mana is his apprentice." Khephera said, gesturing to the other two who were starting to bicker.

"I see." Luna mummered.

Khephera smiled kindly.

"I hope we can become great friends." She said. Luna returned the smile.

"That would be nice."

* * *

A week had passed and Luna was starting to befriend many of the people around the palace. Even Khephera, Mana and Mahaado. Mana would constantly keep asking Luna if she had remembered the Pharaoh yet, but she didn't. Luna found herself trying to remember who the Pharaoh was. He was familiar in a way and they had obviously met somewhere before.

It had to have been that meeting that the former Pharaoh had with her father.

But she was so young at the time...it's no wonder she couldn't remember.

One thing Luna noticed was that the current Pharaoh wasn't around much. She figured he was busy, but she was surprised that she didn't see very much of him. The fact that she didn't see much of him didn't help her memory.

"One thing that really bugs me is that no one will tell me his name!" Luna said to herself as she sat in her chambers alone. She sighed and gave up trying to remember for the day. It was nighttime and she was tired.

After changing her clothes, she crawled into her bed and laid down to sleep. She was about to drift off to sleep until she suddenly heard two servants passing by her doorway, talking.

"The kingdom is very peaceful. But Lord Atem seems to still be working very hard. His people seem to keep his hands full."

The two servants' voices faded away as they walked away. Luna's eyes had snapped open.

"_Atem...Atem...th-that's his name! I...remember now! A little..._" She thought to herself and sat up urgently. She remembered most of the week she had spent with Atem when they were children. But only bits and fragments.

The time he saved her when she fell out of the tree. All the times they played together in the palace courtyard. The times where they both played pranks on the palace guards.

She sighed and laid back down.

"I'm glad I finally remember a little." She mummered before drifting off to sleep.

---

_*Sob*...*Sob*...*Sniff*..._

_"Please don't cry Luna. I don't want to leave either."_

_A 5 year old Luna looked up at a young Atem with tears in her eyes._

_"Th-Then don't leave..." She whimpered._

_"I wish I didn't have to." Atem said, looking a little sad. "You're a great friend."_

_"B-But what if I never see you again?" Luna asked._

_Atem smiled a little._

_"I believe we will someday." He said. "Even if I have to come here occasionally."_

_"Promise...? Promise that we'll see each other again?" Luna asked, wiping some of her tears away._

_"I promise." Atem said._

_Luna smiled a little and kissed Atem on the cheek. "Okay." She said._

---

* * *

"That's how we met. I didn't bore you, did I?"

Cat shook her head. "Nope. Not at all." She said, smiling. "I'm surprised that you remembered all that, though."  
Atem chuckled a little.

"My past has been easier to remember since we traveled to the world of my memories." He said.

"I see." Cat said before thinking for a moment. "Do you...miss Luna at all?"

Atem looked a little surprised at her question. "Well...a little." He said before smiling and scooting over to Cat's side of the table and giving her a kiss. "But even so, you're the one I love."

Blushing, Cat returned the smile shyly.

* * *

**Okay...yeah...this chapter didn't come out all that great. Sorry about that. I guess I haven't really been inspired lately. D:**

**Anyways...even though it could have been better, I hope you enjoyed it.  
The next short arc is probably going to be the last one before the story ends. It might take a little while for me to update until then. Gotta think up some ideas.  
Anyways...see you next chappie!  
**


	67. Targeted Tournament

_Tick...Tick...Tick...Tick..._

"I don't get it...who could it be?"

"I don't know..."

_Tick...Tick...Tick...Tick..._

"If we don't figure out who this hacker is soon..."

"Then Kaiba Corp. is in trouble."

_3:30am._

Kay yawned. She was looming over Kaiba in his dark office.

"How can you stand these all-nighters? I'm about to fall asleep." She mummered.

"Then go to sleep." Kaiba said simply, typing on his computer. He didn't look tired at all.

Kay shook her head.

"No. I want to help you out. Hackers like these tick me off." She said before glancing over to a sofa in Kaiba's office.

On the sofa was Mokuba and Kay's younger sister, Adelinda. They were sleeping peacefully.

Kay sighed and smiled a little at the two friends. She looked back at Kaiba and her face turned serious again.

"Do you think you'll be able to find and stop this hacker in time? You're hosting a new tournament soon, right?" Kay asked.

"I don't know. I can only hope so." Kaiba mummered as he continued to stare at the screen intensely.

* * *

"Um...Kay...you realize that you've been nodding off in class, right?" Jounouchi pointed out.

"Huh...?" Kay asked, looking more tired than ever.

The group of friends were sitting outside for lunch. But everyone couldn't help but stare at Kay, who looked like she was about to fall asleep at any second.

"Kay...perhaps you shouldn't do the "all-nighters" with Kaiba anymore." Anzu suggested.

"No...I want to help him out. This hacker is pretty annoying." Kay said, shaking her head, trying to stay awake.

"But...staying up all night isn't good for you." Cat said.

"Tell that to Kaiba." Honda mummered.

"Look...we just want to catch this guy before it's too late." Kay sighed.

"Oh...you're talking about the tournament, right?" Yugi asked. Kay nodded.

"The last thing we need is some freak attacking the system while Kaiba Corp. is holding a tournament." She said.

"That's true. Have you had any clues or luck with finding out who the hacker is?" Atem asked.  
Kay shook her head.

"No...not yet. And it's frustrating." She replied.

"I can see why." Kristen said. "But you really should get some sleep tonight, at least. I'm sure Kaiba can take care of himself."

"That's right. So...get some sleep, okay Kay?" Cat said.

"We'll see." Kay sighed.

* * *

Another long night. And still no luck.

Kaiba frowned and continued to stare at the screen. After a moment, he sighed and leaned back into his chair, rubbing his head in irritation. He glanced over to the sofa, where Kay was sleeping. She was helping him again that night, but she grew very tired and decided to take a break. She didn't intend to fall asleep though.

Kaiba smiled a little at her before turning completely serious again and looking back at the screen.

He started typing again until suddenly, a strange message popped up upon his screen. Blinking, he read the message.

* * *

_Seto Kaiba,_

_Thank you for setting up the trap. I will soon come to retrieve the prize in a few days._

* * *

Kaiba frowned at the message. Was this from the hacker? It had to be...but what does it mean?

"A few days...?" He mummered to himself before gasping.

The Kaiba Corp. Duel Monsters tournament was in a few days! Could the hacker have been talking about the tournament?

Kaiba glared at the screen, deep in thought.

What did he mean by "trap" and "prize"? And what was he plotting?

"Hmph. Whatever it is...he'll be walking right into my hands, where I can crush him once and for all." Kaiba said to himself. "I don't know what he's planning, but I'll catch him when he dares to set foot into my tournament!"

* * *

"Sir...are you ready for your flight to Japan?"

A middle aged man, sitting in a chair, turned around and grinned.

"Yes." He said, standing up.

The room was very dark; lit only by the light of computer screens. The room darkened the two men's faces.

"Then I shall call the transportation, Mr. Miles?"

"Yeah. Please do."

The other man bowed and left the room.

Miles chuckled darkly.

"The trap has been set. And the bait will certianly be taken by the prey." He said. "You're finished, Seto Kaiba."

* * *

A shocked expression was apparent on everyone's faces as they stood outside of their school, Domino High. Only two among the group of friends did not hold a shocked expression.

"What?! Are you serious Kaiba?!" Yugi cried.

"Since when do I joke about these things, Yugi?" Kaiba asked, his arms crossed over his chest, serious.

"Whoever this hacker is, apparently, he's planning on coming to Seto's tournament." Kay explained before sighing. "And because of that, Seto won't let me enter the tournament." She didn't look happy about it.

"Well, to be honest, I can't blame him! If this guy is after Kaiba, then he might target anyone who has a connection with him." Honda said.

"That's true." Anzu mummered.

Yugi sighed.

"Another tournament being targeted. Is it too much to ask for a tournament where you can just duel for the fun of it?" He said sadly.

Kristen put a hand on his shoulder.

"It really shouldn't surprise you, Yugi. This seems to happen with every tournament I hold." Kaiba grumbled.

"Hey! You're right!" Jounouchi exclaimed and glared at Kaiba. "What's up with that anyways?!"

"Listen Jounouchi. Yugi's not the only one who wishes that we could just have a normal tournament." Kay said, frowning.

"With a company like mine, we have to expect these sort of things. The list of enemies I have is too long to not expect it." Kaiba explained and frowned. "I don't enjoy this anymore than you all do."

Jounouchi crossed his arms and glared at Kaiba suspiciously.

"The 'Long list of enemies' thing comes as no surprise." He grumbled quietly.

Honda looked over at Atem, who looked deep in thought. "Something on your mind, Pharaoh?" He asked. "You've been quiet ever since we've heard the news."

Atem looked back up at everyone else. "Sorry." He said. "I was just thinking about how we're supposed to live in times of peace now. I'm worried about the point that Honda brought up a moment ago. This 'hacker' might target one of us if he sees our connection with Kaiba. It would probably be safer for the rest of you if we all just passed this tournament for now."

"WHAAAAT?!" Jounouchi cried. Yugi and Cat both looked surprised at Atem's comment as well. "Whadda mean pass the tournament?! We can't do that when there's some freak running around, up to no good! Fightin' bad guys is what we do best anyways!"

Anzu frowned at Jounouchi. "We stopped fighting bad guys a long time ago! The Pharaoh is right! This is supposed to be a time of peace!" She protested. "We're not supposed to be trying to save the world or whatever anymore!"

"So?! What's to stop us from stopping bad guys now? It wouldn't feel right to sit back and let this guy do what he wants!" Jounouchi snapped back. "Especially when we know what's going on!"

"Actually. We wanted to ask Atem for assistance." Kay said. "Chances are, this man is going to use dueling as his offensive if he's joining the tournament. And if that's the case, we want the best duelists on our side."

"So, what will it be?" Kaiba asked Atem.

Atem frowned a little. "Fine." He said. "I know I certianly wouldn't feel right if I didn't help."

Jounouchi grinned widely.

"And if you need the best on your side, then I'm defiantly in!" He said and pulled Yugi and Cat into a headlock. "These two can tag along too."

"Yugi should be okay, but Cat should probably step out of this tournament." Kay said.

"What? Why?" Jounouchi asked.

"It's too dangerous." Kay simply said.

"I'm not afraid." Cat said. "I can duel."

Kay smiled weakly.

"Well. Even if I said yes, do you think Atem would stand for it?" She asked, glancing at Atem before looking back at Cat. "Besides, you've been kidnapped before and let's face it...you still don't completely have a backbone yet."

Cat flinched and sweatdropped. "Gee...thanks." She mummered, unamused.

Kay beamed.

"No problem." She said innocently.

"Alright. The plan is set. Now all we have to do is wait for the punk to show up. If he still has the guts." Kaiba said.

* * *

The only noise that could be heard was a soft yawn. The evening was quiet and Cat was getting ready for bed. But before she could crawl into bed, her phone rang. She looked at it and sighed tiredly before answering it.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Oh...geez, I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Kay. "No. I was just about to go to bed though." Cat said.

"Oh. Sorry about that. I just wanted talk to you for a minute. I won't take long." Kay said.

Cat sat on her bed, the phone still held up to her ear.

"Okay. Go on." She said.

"Well...it's about the tournament. Surely you're not happy with the fact that we have to be left out, right?"

"Yeah...but it can't be helped."

"I can understand that they don't want us getting put in the line of danger and all...but I can't sit back and watch. Surely you feel the same, right?"

Cat put some thought into it. Yes, it did bug her a little. She always wanted to help out. She was tired of always being at the sidelines.

"Well-"

"I thought so." Kay cut her off. "That's why I think we should work behind the scenes."

"Behind the scenes?"

"Yup! All of the tournament participants are going to be suspects. And Seto always has background info on each and every duelist that enters. While the tournament is going on, we can try and figure out who the guy is before it's too late. I highly doubt whoever the hacker is, is going to announce his presence just as soon as the tournament starts. He's obviously going to try and hide within the other duelists."

"You've...got a point." Cat sounded hesitant.

"So, what do you say? Will you come and help me out?"

Cat thought for a moment before frowning a little in determination.  
"Alright. I'm in." She replied.

"Great! Now make sure you don't tell anyone else about what we're doing. The only people who know about this are you and me."

"Okay. But...I have to know...are you able to even look at the background info?"

"Of course! I have access to practically everything at Kaiba Corp, so it's no big deal."

"Alright."

"Okay then! I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good Night."

Cat hung up the phone and placed it back into it's spot before she turned out the lights and climbed into her bed, making herself comfortable. She shifted around a little, an uncertain feeling in her stomach. It lasted until she fell asleep.

* * *

**Ohmagoshanupdate!**

**Crazy, I know. Sorry it took an eternity and a half to get a new chapter up...and...sorry it's short. D:  
The reason why I haven't been updating is a long and dramatic reason that I'm not really going to share. Let's just say the past two months have sucked.**

**Anyways, things are better now and I'm going to try and get back on track with my writing.  
This chapter marks a new arc. And the last arc of the story, I might add.  
Yup, Eternal Snow is almost finished. But I plan on writing a sequel. We'll have to see how that turns out though. ;)**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next chappie! :D  
**


	68. Hacker's Target

The blue sky's above Domino City filled was with cheers as rockets flew up and exploded in the air. It was finally the day of the Kaiba Corp. Tournament.

It was being held at one of Domino City's Duel Arena's and the seats were filled with cheering spectators.

Everyone except Atem, Jounouchi and Yugi looked over the Duel Arena on one of the upper floors. The participants of the tournament were lined up on the main Duel Arena. The group of friends scanned the participants.

"Somewhere, among one of those duelists is the hacker." Kaiba said, arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm still surprised that someone like a hacker would even want to come and disrupt a small tournament like this." Mokuba said. "We hold much larger tournaments than this, and the guy chooses this one. I wonder why?"

"I don't know, Mokie." Kay said, her eyes locked on the duelists. "But whatever his reason is, he obviously couldn't wait until a big tournament."

Kay's little sister held onto Kay's arm tightly, a worried expression on her face.

"Is...everything going to be okay?" She asked.

"Oh yeah! Defiantly. Don't worry Adelinda." Kay said, smiling down at her sister. "This guy thinks he has us in the palm of his hand, but it's the other way around."

Adelinda smiled a small smile. Mokuba grinned at Adelinda.

"Yeah! We've dealt with worse situations easily!" He said.

Anzu looked at her watch. "It's almost time for the tournament to start. We'd better go find our seats." She said.

"You're right. That means I'd better go get ready. Me and Roland are doing the announcements together." Mokuba said and turned to Adelinda. "I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

Adelinda nodded shyly. "Okay, Mokie." She said and watched Mokuba run off.

"You can come sit with us while we're waiting for Mokuba, Adelinda." Anzu said.

Honda tried to look cool.

"Yeah! You get to sit with the cool kids!" He said proudly.

Everyone sweatdropped at his comment.

"Don't worry. You won't have to sit by the weird guy." Anzu said to Adelinda. Honda didn't sound too happy with Anzu's comment.

"Hmph. You guys do what you have to do. I'm going to get ready." Kaiba said before walking off.

"Oh yeah. Kaiba's in this tournament too, huh?" Kristen asked.

"Yup." Kay said. "Anyways, you guys better go take a seat before you lose them."

"What about you two?" Honda asked.

Kay put an arm around Cat's shoulder, grinning. "We'll catch up with you guys later. There's something we need to do before we go watch the tournament."

Anzu, Kristen and Honda looked at each other, confused.

"Well...okay. We'll save a spot for you guys." Anzu said.

"Okay! Thanks!" Kay said, smiling and waving.

"B-But Sis..." Adelinda protested.

"We'll be back soon, Adelinda. Go and enjoy the tournament." Kay said.

Adelinda nodded hesitantly.

"O-Okay." She said.

Kay waved as the three walked off. Once they were gone, Kay turned to Cat. "Alright! You ready to get to work?" She asked.

Cat nodded.

"Ready and willing. This shouldn't be too hard, right?" She asked.

"Pfft. It'll be a piece of cake! We'll probably be back before the second duel!" Kay said in a carefree tone. "Now, follow me!"

Kay pulled Cat along and through a door, leading to all the computers and information.

One man among the duelists grinned. He had been watching the two girls for a while. "_You know what to do, my men._"

* * *

"Kay...you said this wouldn't take long...I'm pretty sure half of the tournament is over." Cat sighed tiredly.

The two were in the main computer room, trying to find any helpful information. The glow of the computer screens were the only things lighting up the room.

Kay was busy typing on one of the computers.

"I was expecting that it wouldn't take long...but whoever this guy is, he's very crafty. I can't find a single thing among this information that would give him away!" She said in an irritated tone. "They all look clean." She sighed and grumbled to herself. "I shouldn't have underestimated him."

Cat sighed as well as she stared at the computer screen.

"HEY!"

Both Cat and Kay jumped and turned around to find a tall and muscular man in a black suit and black sunglasses standing behind them. He had short black hair.

"What are you two doing in here? This place is off limits!" He said.

Kay stood up and faced the man, frowning. He didn't look like any of Kaiba's employee's. Although he was obviously trying to pretend he was one. Who was this man? "If you knew anything, you'd know that I have permission to go where I please here." She said.

The man smirked.  
"Oh, I know." He said and reached out to grab the two.

Kay gasped.  
"Cat! Run!"

* * *

"High-five man!"

Honda and Jounouchi shared a high-five.

The tournament was half over and there was a short intermission going on. Atem, Kaiba, Jounouchi and Yugi took this chance to visit their friends.

"You're doing great!" Honda said. "Which is strange, because you usually suck."

Jounouchi glared at Honda.

"Ignoring that." He said before grinning proudly and sticking out his chest. "Yeah, well...what can I say? I'm an amazing duelist."

"Stop getting so full of yourself." Anzu said with lowered eyelids.

Jounouchi shot a frown at her.

"Adelinda? What's wrong?" Mokuba asked. Adelinda was looking at the ground, a worried expression on her face.

"W-Well...Kay and Cat haven't returned yet." She said softly.

Everyone looked at the young girl.

"Oh my gosh, that's right!" Anzu gasped.

"I'd forgotten because I was so wrapped up in the tournament." Honda said. Anzu nodded in agreement.

Mokuba looked a little guilty.

"I forgot too..." He said.

"Me too." Kristen admitted.

Atem looked concerned and turned to Honda, Anzu, Kristen, Mokuba and Adelinda. "Where did they go and why?" He asked.

The five shrugged.

"I dunno. Kay told us to go on ahead of them because they had something to do." Anzu said.

"They didn't tell us why though." Honda said. "They said they wouldn't be long."

"And it has been a while." Mokuba added in.

"I hope they're okay." Adelinda whimpered, looking more worried.

Like the others, Kaiba didn't look to pleased either. He was in thought.

"_Chances are...that hacker might have gotten to them. But I'd rather that not be the case. Besides...how would he? All of the participants have been in plain view until this intermission. The hacker is among the participants and none of them left our sight throughout the whole tournament...so he couldn't have just gotten up and left. Unless...he has others working for him. It makes sense...and yet it doesn't. I have my own men watching out for anything and anyone suspicious...so how...?_"

"Kaiba."

Kaiba snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the others.

"What do you propose we do?" Atem asked, looking serious.

"Do whatever you want." Kaiba replied.

"If that's the case, then why don't we do a quick search before the tournament starts up again." Yugi suggested.

Everyone nodded.

"Sounds good to me. Let's go!" Honda said before everyone split up and ran off to find the two missing girls.

* * *

"Augh! It's no use! He's too fast!" Kay exclaimed.

Kay and Cat were running through the hallways of the inner arena. The man in the black suit was chasing after them and gaining quickly.

"B-But we have to keep running!" Cat cried.

"If we do, then we'll get caught!" Kay yelled and skidded to a stop. She turned and threw a kick at the man, while Cat stopped and watched.

"KAY!"

Kay's kick was in vain, for the man caught her foot and grinned wickedly. "I've got you." He said and grabbed Kay, putting her in a headlock. Cat gasped and started to rush over. She knew she couldn't do anything, but she had to try!

"Cat, stop!" Kay cried. "You have to run and get out of here!"

Cat stopped. "B-But...Kay!" She cried.

"Just GO!" Kay snapped. "It won't do any good if you're caught too! Go warn the others!"

Cat bit her lip, hesitant.

"GO!"

Obeying, Cat turned around and ran. Once she was out of sight, another man stepped out of the shadows.

He was muscular and had long, white hair that ended at his waist. His eyes were red and he wore a grey tang top with white pants and black boots. On his hands, he wore black gloves and had a duel disk on his arm.

"Ah...I see you've caught our prey. Excellent work."

The man holding onto Kay bowed his head a little in respect. "Thank you Mr. Miles."

Kay blinked but glared at Miles, never-the-less.

"_Mr. Miles?_"

"You...you're the hacker, aren't you?!" Kay growled.

Mile chuckled. "So you've figured it out. Very good." He said. "But I'm afraid that information will not benefit you much." Kay only scowled at him.

"Mr. Miles. Should we send another man for the other girl?" The man holding onto Kay asked.

"No. She's being a good girl and playing her part. She'll bring Seto Kaiba to us, whether she realizes it or not." Miles said before looking thoughtful. "Although I hope she comes back. She could certianly prove useful too."

"How so?" Kay asked.

"I've been watching you and your friends since this tournament started. When Seto Kaiba comes to try and rescue you, he's going to have the King of Games with him. If my observation is correct, then holding your friend hostage, will stop the King in his tracks, in fear that his girlfriend will be harmed." Miles explained. "And he won't dare get in the way when we destroy Seto Kaiba."

"You guys are sick..." Kay growled. "And stupid if you think you can take Seto and my friends down as easily as you think you can! Not to mention, when I get free, I'm going to give you a world of hurt!"

Miles laughed. "You're quite amusing." He said and looked at the other man. "Let's return to our building. We have guests arriving soon."

* * *

Cat ran through the arena, trying to find her friends. She turned a corner and ran into someone.

"Ow! I-I'm sorry!" She cried and tried to move on without even looking at the person, but the person grabbed her shoulders and held her in place.

"Cat! Thank goodness you're all right! What happened? Where were you?"

It was Atem.

Cat looked up at him, panting as she tried to catch her breath again. "K-Kay...she...she's...in trouble!" She panted. "A man captured her...a-and...I was able to escape...I-I think the man...might have worked...for the hacker!"

Atem looked alarmed. "Oh no..." He mummered and pulled Cat closer to him before hurrying off into another direction. "We have to warn Kaiba."

Cat stared at the ground and shook her head sadly. "I'm so ashamed...I couldn't help Kay." She said.

"It's alright Cat. I'm just glad nothing happened to you. I don't know what I would do if anything had happened to you." Atem said as they continued to move through the arena. "Kay will be safe soon. Don't worry."

Cat nodded a little.

* * *

**Whoa! Another update! Whoo!**

**Anyways...yeah, this one is kinda short too...but I hope you enjoyed it!**

**See you next chappie! :D  
**


	69. Mission

"I can't believe this is happening."

Everyone had reunited and Cat explained the situation. Jounouchi rubbed the back of his head.

"Okay. I gotta admit. Evil Ancient Egyptian spirits or crazy hackers...it's getting a little old. Especially since they seem to love to mix our friends into their issues." He said.

Anzu frowned at him. "Oh? Now you understand?"

"Now's not the time for an argument, guys." Yugi said. "We need to focus on finding Kay."

"What were you two thinking?! What made you think it was okay for you to snoop around like that?!" Kaiba snapped at Cat, arms crossed.

Cat flinched back.

"We...We were just trying to help!" She said defensively.

"If we needed or even wanted your help, then you and Kay would be in the tournament!" Kaiba growled. "I thought you had more common sense than that!"

"That's enough, Kaiba." Atem said sternly, stepping up next to Cat. "Yelling at her won't save Kay."

"Hey, he's got a point Kaiba." Jounouchi said, looking serious. "The first thing we need to do is figure out where these guys took Kay."

"I don't have to listen to what a mutt says." Kaiba mummered.

Jounouchi scowled at him, but didn't say anything.

"Kaiba, whether you listen to him or not, he's right. We need to find where they took Kay." Atem said.

Yugi looked up at Kristen, who looked deep in thought. "Something on your mind?" He asked. Kristen looked up and down at him.

"Huh? Oh...yeah...I was just wondering where Mokuba and Adelinda are." She replied.

Everyone looked at Kristen.

"Oh my gosh, you're right. I almost forgot about them!" Anzu said.

"I haven't seen them recently." Honda said.

"Uh-oh...I hope they're okay." Yugi said, a worried expression growing on his face. "We should probably look for them."

"No need. Look!" Jounouchi pointed at Adelinda, who was running towards them. Once she reached the group, she took a moment to catch her breath.

"Adelinda! We were worried about you! Where's Mokuba?" Kristen asked.

"M-Mokie...h...he's...gone!" Adelinda panted. "They...They took him away!"

Everyone gasped.

"Oh no! Not him too!" Anzu cried.

"Is it me, or is Mokuba kidnapped like, every time a bad guy comes around?" Jounouchi mummered, glancing at Honda.

"Yeah..." Honda agreed, glancing back at Jounouchi.

Kaiba growled. "Those fools have gone too far!"

"We need to come up with a plan." Yugi said. "Kaiba and Atem should go and try to save Kay and Mokuba."

"I don't need any help! I can go on my own!" Kaiba said angrily.

"You never know when you'll need help, Kaiba. It won't hurt if Atem went with you." Yugi said, looking stern. When Kaiba didn't reply, Yugi continued. "The rest of us will watch over the area. Chances are, whoever is behind this still has men wandering the area, undercover. We'll be here to make sure they don't cause any more trouble."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Honda said and stretched an arm. "Beating up a few baddies sounds great right now!"

"Right then. The first step for us is to find one of the hacker's henchmen. Perhaps we can get some information out of him." Atem said.

"Hey...if that's the case...why don't you two bring Cat along?" Kristen suggested.

"What?" Atem, Cat and Kaiba asked at the same time.

"I don't think so!" Kaiba said, frowning. "She's caused enough trouble. If she came with us, she'd only get in the way!"

Kristen put her hands on her hips.

"Think about it. Besides Adelinda, Cat is the only person here who has seen these "henchmen" for herself. She could probably identify whoever kidnapped Kay!" She explained. "And it would be too dangerous if you took Adelinda with you."

"That's true." Atem said. "In that case, Cat will come with us. She can also duel if the need arises."

Kaiba glared at Cat.

"Know this. If you get in the way or get yourself into trouble, you're on your own." He said. "Oh. And if anything happens to Kay or Mokuba, it'll be on your hands."

"Kaiba! That's enough! I know you're angry, but you can't just take it out on her like tha-"

"Fine." Cat interrupted Atem.

Atem looked over at Cat, surprised.

"If you want to pin the responsibility on me so badly, then fine. But it's not going to be on my hands. Because I know Kay and Mokuba will be fine." Cat continued, looking Kaiba in the eye, frowning.

"Hmph. We'll see about that." Kaiba said in a low tone before turning and walking away.

"Cat..." Atem said, looking at Cat. "You don't have to risk taking responsibility for something that's not your fault."

"It's partly my fault." Cat mummered. "I should have tried to talk Kay out of it. But instead I went along and encouraged it."

"Well...you and Kay couldn't have known that the hacker's men would be roaming the area, undercover." Atem said.

"Still...it would have been wise if we had considered it." Cat said before smiling a little. "But it doesn't matter now. I'm positive we'll rescue Kay and Mokuba." She looked at Kaiba as he was still walking away. "If Kay hadn't been kidnapped, then Mokuba probably wouldn't have been kidnapped as well. Besides, Kaiba won't admit it to us...or anyone else for that matter, but he really loves Kay. That's why he got so angry with me."

Atem blinked before looking at Kaiba as well.

"You guys should go and follow Kaiba. We'll watch over the arena." Anzu said to the two.

"Yeah. And if Adelinda spots any henchmen, we'll be sure to catch him and get some information outta him!" Jounouchi added in.

Atem and Cat nodded, smiling at their friends.

"Right! Let's go." Atem said.

* * *

The first thing Kay heard, was her own groan as she slowly opened her eyes.

Blinking and looking around, she sat up.

"What the...where...where am I?" She asked herself quietly. She stopped when she saw Mokuba not too far from her. She moved over to where the boy was and shook him gently. "Mokie! Hey! Mokuba! Wake up!"

After a moment or two, Mokuba finally opened his eyes. Sitting up, he looked around, surprised. "Where are we?" He asked.

"I wish I knew." Kay mummered, glancing around the room.

They were sitting in a windowless and empty room. The only thing lighting the room was a single light in the high ceiling. The room was gray and the floor was made out of cement. The walls were gray brick. The only way in and out of the room was a single door that was across the room from them. It was obviously locked...but in a special way. Instead of having a key, a code was required to open the door. There was a small keypad next to the door.

Kay stared at the keypad, a small frown on her face. She looked back over at Mokuba.

"Last thing I remember is being kidnapped by the hacker. If I remember correctly, his name is "Miles". At least...that's what his first name is, I think." She said. "They must have knocked me out with a drug or something while dragging me away."

Mokuba thought for a moment. "I...don't remember too much. I think they hit me in the head to knock me out...because the back of my head hurts." He mummered, rubbing the back of his head gently. "But...I was with Adelinda, looking for you and Cat...until suddenly a couple of men disguised as Kaiba Corp. employees attacked us. I tried to escape, but they were too fast. The very last thing I remember is seeing Adelinda trying to run away. I don't know if they caught her or not. I hope not..."

Kay glanced around their cell once more. "Well...since she's not here with us, I can only assume and hope that Adelinda got away safely." She said.

Mokuba nodded and sighed. "So...what do we do now?" He asked.

Kay looked over at the keypad. "Miles seems to love technology since he hacks and uses a code for a lock. Perhaps we can crack the code on the keypad over there. I'm pretty sure it opens the door." She said.

Mokuba nodded.

"Okay. Let's try it." He said.

* * *

Mumbles and whispers of confusion buzzed around the arena. The tournament had not been canceled.

Instead, the tournament was put on hold for a while. Since Kaiba didn't tell any of his staff about the situation, they had no choice but to put it on hold until they received further instructions.

But the crowd seemed impatient.

It had been a couple of hours since Kaiba, Atem and the others had come up with their plan to save Kay and Mokuba, and Kaiba, Atem and Cat were having no luck in finding one of the hacker's henchmen.

Roland found Kaiba and reported that one of the tournament duelists was missing. When they tried to track the duelist down, they were unsuccessful because of the false information the duelist had provided.

"Do you suppose they all left?" Cat asked as the three continued to wander around the large arena.

"It's possible." Atem replied.

"That wouldn't make sense, though." Kaiba said. "Whoever this hacker is, he's out to get me. It's obvious he kidnapped Mokuba and Kay because he knows of my connection with them. This hacker wants to lure me to him, using Kay and Mokuba as bait. I highly doubt he would leave me hanging like this."

"I guess that's true..." Cat sighed.

"There's one place we haven't checked out yet. Outside of the arena building." Atem said. "We should go look there as well."

"Fine." Kaiba mummered and walked towards the exit.

When the three finally made it outside, they took a moment to look around.

"Nothing seems out of place here." Cat noted.

"Heh, heh...Seto Kaiba, you finally showed up."

The three quickly turned around to find a man standing in the shadow of the building. He wore a black, buttoned up trench coat and black sunglasses. He was bald and wore black pants, shoes and gloves. He was a big and strong looking man and was almost as tall as Kaiba.

"You...You work for that hacker, don't you?!" Kaiba growled. "Where did you take Kay and Mokuba?!"

The man chuckled. "If you ever even hope to see them again, you'll go to this address." He said, tossing a folded piece of paper at the three. "Your loved ones are there, waiting for you. But I cannot promise that you'll be able to see them...my boss would like to have a word with you first."

Without another word, the man turned and left.

Not bothering to follow the man, the three walked over to the piece of paper and picked it up. They looked at the address after unfolding the paper.

"So that's where he's keeping them, huh?" Kaiba mummered.

"I don't like this...it's obviously a trap." Atem said.

"But what choice do we have?" Cat asked. "It's our only lead to saving Kay and Mokuba."

"That's right. Let's go." Kaiba said, tucking the paper within one of his pockets. He turned and walked down the sidewalk, Atem and Cat following.

* * *

**Whoo! Another chapter done! This one, I sorta made up as I went, so I hope it doesn't sound too bad...**

**Well, I hope you liked it! See ya next chappie! :D  
**


	70. Operation Mind Eraser

A small light blinked a few times, accompanied with a "beep".

"There...I did it." Kay breathed.

"Way to go!" Mokuba cheered as the door slid open automatically. Regardless of Mokuba's cheering, Kay frowned, peering out the now open door.

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet, Mokie." Kay said, poking her head outside the door and glancing around the empty hallway. "We're not safe yet." Mokuba appeared to be confused as Kay continued to glanced down the hallway, a frown still apparent on her face. "I feel as if...cracking that code was too easy. There might be traps waiting for us. We need to be careful."

Mokuba nodded.

* * *

The three stood before a large skyscraper.

"It's amazing how often you pass by a punk's evil hideout and not even know it." Kaiba said, tossing the paper with the address aside.

"And in plain sight." Atem added.

"If we were to run into any henchmen, chances are that they'll want to duel us before we could move on." Cat said.

"Which is why I trust that you two can hold your own and I won't be needing to be rescuing anyone else?" Kaiba asked.

"We'll be fine, Kaiba." Atem said, frowning a little.

"Right then. Let's go." Kaiba said.

The three walked up the steps and entered casually into the building. Looking around, there was no one there.

"That's odd." Cat mummered. "You would think that there would be employees or guards around. Not to mention the doors were unlocked."

"That's why I said that this was most likely a trap. They want us to walk in freely." Atem said.

"Hmph. As if they could catch me in a trap." Kaiba said, walking towards and elevator. "Are you two coming or not?"  
Without replying, Atem and Cat followed Kaiba into the elevator.  
"Which floor do we need to go to?" Cat asked.

"I don't know. But if I had to guess, I would say the top floor." Atem said.

"Naturally." Kaiba said, pressing the top floor's button. In response, the elevator doors closed and it began to move. But after three floors it suddenly stopped!

"Wh-what's going on?" Cat asked, surprised.

"Grr...what's with this faulty elevator?!" Kaiba growled as he messed with some of the controls, trying to get it to work again.

All of the sudden, the lights went out and were replaced by green lights. The elevator started to move again and stopped on the 10th floor before opening the doors.

"I get the feeling that this guy had the elevator programmed to take us to a certain floor." Atem said.

"And chances are, that even if we tried, the elevator won't take us up any higher." Kaiba grumbled as he stepped out, Atem and Cat following him.

The room they stepped into was dark and the only light came from a few windows. Quietly, a man in a black suit and sunglasses stepped up to them, grinning.

"I see two of the people we've been expecting have arrived." He said and looked at Cat. "But this one wasn't on the guest list. No matter...we have a use for her."

Cat flinched before the other two glared at the man.

"What are you talking about?!" Kaiba asked.

"I can understand you expecting Kaiba, but why me?" Atem asked.

"That's for you to find out if you follow me." The man said.

"You must think I'm some kind of fool. And you're wrong." Kaiba said. "I know a trap when I see one!"

"Hmph. I figured you wouldn't come quietly." The man said, smirking. "In that case..." He pulled out and activated a duel disk. "Shall we?"

Kaiba growled and stepped up, activating his own duel disk.

"Fine. Let's go!"

* * *

Kay and Mokuba were silently exploring the dark hallways of the building. Mokuba clutched onto Kay's arm with his hands as he walked next to her, looking around.

"This place gives me the creeps." He said.

"Me too, Mokie." Kay said. "But if we ever want to find our way out, we have to keep moving."

The two continued on for about ten minutes until Kay noticed a large door with a sign next to it. The two stopped and examined the door.  
"What's this?" Kay asked and read the sign. "Data room? Hmm...Mokie...maybe we can figure out what that guy is up to if we check it out."

"I...I dunno Kay. What if we get caught?" Mokuba asked nervously.

"I'm honestly not worried about that. So far, this place has proven to have low security. And the coded keypads are easy to crack." Kay said. "Let's check it out."

As quietly and as quickly as she could, Kay opened the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked and unprotected. Without saying anything, the two stepped into the room before slowly and quietly shutting the door behind them.

The room was darker than the hallways and the only light came from a few lit up computer screens; for the room was covered in computers.

After the two scanned the room to make sure no one was there, Kay spoke up.

"Certainly looks like a data room to me." She walked up to the biggest computer screen and started working at the controls. A password request popped up and Kay tried the code that she used to escape the prison. It worked.

"Ha. I was right. Low security." She said, smirking.

She started to search around on the computer until a file opened up suddenly, revealing plans.

"What the...?" Kay gasped.

"Operation...Mind Eraser?" Mokuba read the title of the plans.

Kay frowned.

"Sounds generic enough." She said before reading the contents. "The plans are basically...about how Miles plans on kidnapping celebrities, political figures, royalty, musicians, CEO's, sport players, news reporters, writers, journalists; anyone famous or has influence on people."

"Why...?" Mokuba asked.

Kay continued reading, and as she did, her face grew horrified.

"He...he plans on brainwashing them before he plants some sort of chip into them, allowing him to control them." She said.

"It sounds like something you'd see in a cartoon." Mokuba said.

"Well...yes...but...this is real. He apparently has a way really do that!" Kay exclaimed. "That's...horrible. And a very generic way to try and take over the world."

"If he succeeds, it won't matter if it's generic or not." Mokuba pointed out.

"True...Oh! He has a list of people that he plans on controlling." Kay said and began to scroll through the names and pictures of the people. There was tons of celebrities, political figures, ect, that Kay and Mokuba recognized. But they froze when they saw four familiar faces appear on the screen.

"Wh...what...?" Kay gasped in horror. "He...want's to control Seto! A-And Uncle Pegasus!"

"Atem and Yugi too!" Mokuba cried. "All because of their positions and status'!"

"Crap...this isn't good..." Kay mummered, biting her bottom lip as she frowned at the keyboard in thought. "Mokie...we have to get out of here now! And warn them!" She quickly exited the program.

Mokuba nodded and turned to head for the door, but suddenly stopped, gasping. Kay turned around and gasped as well. Standing behind them, was Miles. He had his arms crossed and he was smirking.

"Well, well. It looks like we have a couple of escape artists. Not only that, but you've managed to crack my security code." He said and looked at Kay. "You've got quite the head on your shoulders, girl."

Kay glared at him.

"Your passwords were so weak, a two year old could figure them out!" She snapped.

Miles laughed. "You've also got quite the mouth too! Interesting." He said. "But, it seems unfortunate. You two have discovered my plans. And since locking you two up obviously doesn't work, I have a new purpose for you two."

Kay and Mokuba tensed at his words.

"You see...I haven't completely finished testing my mind erasing machine. And I need more test subjects." Miles said.

The two gasped heavily at his words, knowing where this was going. Kay grit her teeth.

"Mokuba...you have to run for it." Kay said lowly to Mokuba.

"Wh-What? And leave you behind?!" Mokuba asked.

"Yes. One of us needs to escape and warn the others." Kay replied. "I'll distract him. Get ready to run, Mokuba."

"B...but...I..." Mokuba stuttered, not wanting to leave Kay behind.

"Just do it! I'm counting on you!" Kay said. "Get ready..."

"Kay..." Mokuba whimpered.

"Go!" Kay hissed before running at Miles and punching him in the face. Miles, who was surprised at the sudden attack, growled and attempted to grab Kay. Dodging his arms, Kay moved behind him and jumped on his back, head locking him.

"Mokuba! GO!" She cried.

Mokuba was hesitant for a moment before he quickly ran from the room.

"N-No!" Miles cried and growled loudly before grabbing Kay and plucking her off of his back with ease. "You'll play for this girl!" He growled before throwing her against the wall, hard; causing Kay to black out.

After that, Miles walked over to a phone, which was a way to contact his employees. "The small boy with the long black hair has escaped. I want you all to bring him back!" He commanded before hanging up and turning to Kay. "You're first." He said, walking over to her and picking her up before leaving the room.

* * *

***cough gasp wheeze* Sorry it took so long to update. I've been having a hard time figuring out what happens next and such. Sounds like a cliffy, huh? DUN DUN DUUUUNNN!**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chappie! :D  
**


	71. Plan in Movement

"Augh!"

The man fell backwards as his life points hit zero, his sunglasses falling off his face. Kaiba marched over and picked the man up by the collar of his shirt.

"Now talk!" He demanded. "Where is Kay and Mokuba?"

The man smirked. "You're not going to get any information from me." He replied.

Kaiba growled before kneeing the man in the stomach and knocking him out. Tossing him aside, Kaiba turned around. "Let's keep moving." He said to Atem and Cat.

"We won't be able to take the elevator any higher. We should look for some stairs." Atem suggested.

"Obviously." Kaiba simply said before turning and walking in one direction, Atem and Cat following.

* * *

Mokuba ran through the hallways alone, panting. Hearing footsteps, he gasped and hid behind a machine, waiting for the people to pass by.

"Mr. Miles has ordered it. We need to look for the black haired kid. Seto Kaiba's little brother." One of the men said, walking down the hallway.

"Ha! Easy. How hard could it be to find a stupid kid?" The other man said just as they passed by Mokuba, without noticing him. Mokuba frowned at them, sneaking behind the other side of the machine in case they turned around.

Once he was sure they were gone, he continued down the hallway.

"_I gotta get out of here!_" He thought to himself urgently. "_I've got to find Seto, Atem and Yugi before that guy does something horrible to Kay! And if something bad happened, Seto would be really mad! And Adelinda...she would be completely heartbroken! I can't let that happen!_"

"Tch...just as I thought. He disabled all the other elevators and programmed them all to go to the 10th floor, making us start all over again from the 10th floor." Kaiba growled as they were currently climbing a set of stairs. "He's trying to tire us out."

"And...it's working..." Cat panted as she stopped and leaned over, her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "I...don't have as much stamina as you two..."

Atem stopped and looked at Cat.

"Are you all right?" He asked. "Should I carry you?"

Cat shook her head. "N-No...I'll be fine." She panted. "Just...give me a minute."

"We don't have a minute." Kaiba grumbled. "We already wasted that minute and more because of the elevator."

Atem frowned slightly at Kaiba before stepping down to Cat's level. "Here. Get on my back."

"No...I...I said I'll be fine." Cat panted. "I just need a moment."

"I would give you one, but unfortunately, Kaiba won't." Atem said and lowered himself. "Come on."

Cat sighed and climbed onto Atem's back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Standing back up, Atem continued to climb the stairs.

"Let's go, Kaiba."

"I'm sorry..." Cat apologized.

"It's fine." Atem replied.

Kaiba rolled his eyes before continuing to climb the stairs as well.

* * *

"Set up is completely Mr. Miles."

Miles smirked. "Excellent." He said looking over at a horizontal glass capsule where Kay was. She was still unconscious.

"Should we start the procedures?" One of Miles' employees asked.

"No. I have some guests I'm expecting." Miles said, smirking as he looked over at a wall filled with computer screens, all security camera screens. One of them had Atem, Kaiba and Cat on the screen. "I wouldn't want them to miss the show. It would be rude of us." Miles suddenly frowned. "Any luck finding that Kaiba brat?"

"No sir...he's avoided security guards and employees very well." The employee reported.

Miles growled.

"If he finds his older brother, the King of Games and his little girlfriend, then it could be a little troublesome." He said. "Keep looking. And don't stop until you find that snot nosed brat! Understand?"

"Yes sir."

* * *

Kaiba, Atem and Cat had reached the 21st floor and were still climbing stairs.

"Atem...you can set me down now. I've rested enough." Cat said.

"Are you sure?" Atem asked.

"Yeah." Cat replied before Atem set her down. "Besides, if you keep on carrying me, it'll only tire you out faster."

Atem chuckled.

"True." He said before the three continued to climb the stairs. Eventually, they reached the 22nd floor.

As they were walking among the 22nd floor, Kaiba suddenly stopped, almost causing the other two to crash into him.

"H-Hey...why did you sto-"

"Shh!" Kaiba hissed, cutting Cat off. The three listened quietly before they caught the sound of footsteps running down the hallway. They braced themselves, expecting one of Miles' employees to show up from the dark hallway.

When the person finally came within their line of vision, they gasped.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba exclaimed.

"Seto!" Mokuba cried and ran up to the three, hugging his big brother.

"Are you all right? How did you escape?" Kaiba asked. "Where's Kay?"

Mokuba's smile faded. "I...I'm fine." He replied to the first question. "Um...but...Kay...I don't know if she's okay."

"Wh-What? Where is she?" Cat asked.

"You see...I don't know exactly. Somewhere in this building. Kay was able to break us out of the cell we were trapped in and we ended up in a room that held Miles' plans. After we found out his plans, Miles caught us. Kay held him off and told me to escape." Mokuba explained and looked at the ground sadly. "I...I didn't want to leave her...but she demanded I ran away so I could find you guys and warn you about Miles' plans."

"Kay..." Cat said sadly.

Atem put a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be all right. We'll save Kay no matter what." He said to Cat before turning his attention to Mokuba. "What exactly is Miles' plans?"

"Um...well...something called "Operation Mind Eraser". The name gives off a pretty big hint as to what its about." Mokuba replied.

"Operation Mind Eraser? Well, isn't that generic." Kaiba mummered sarcastically.

"Basically what Miles is planning is to kidnap celebrities, politicians, CEOs and anyone who has influence on the general public." Mokuba continued. "He plans on planting a chip of some kind within them and take control of them."

"Sounds like something you'd see in a cartoon." Cat commented.

"Yeah. I said the same thing." Mokuba said. "But...this is real. And what's worse..." Mokuba looked at Kaiba and Atem with concern. "Miles is targeting you two as well!"

Atem and Kaiba looked shocked.

Cat gasped. "Th-Them?" She cried. "Let me guess...it's because Atem is the Duel Monsters World Champion and Kaiba is the CEO of one of the biggest gaming companies."

"Exactly." Mokuba nodded. "We have to stop Miles! And save Kay!"

"So, assuming Kay got captured by Miles, do you know what may have happened to her?" Atem asked.

"Yeah...when Miles caught us, he said that he was gonna use us to test his brainwashing machine." Mokuba said. "A-And I'll bet that's what he's gonna do to Kay! Use her as a test subject!"

The three looked horrified.  
Kaiba growled and clenched his fist. "There's no way we're going to allow that punk to get away with that!" He declared. "Or any of his other sick plans!"

"W-We have to save Kay before it's too late!" Cat cried.

"But...what if it's already too late?" Mokuba asked sadly.

"We must try, Mokuba." Atem said. "He may or may not have brainwashed Kay. We don't know. But we have to fight for the hope that he hasn't brainwashed her yet."

Mokuba was silent for a moment before he smiled.

"Yeah. You're right." He said.

"Besides. Even if he DID brainwash Kay, we'd still stop Miles and ruin his plans." Cat said. "Then all we'd have to do is find a way to get rid of the chip inside her."

"But that could be hazardous." Kaiba said. "We don't know where he's planting the chip and what could happen if something goes wrong."

"Kaiba's right. We need to save Kay before that chip is planted within her." Atem said. "Let's get moving."

The other three nodded before they ran down the hallway.

* * *

**New chapter! Sorry it's short. I'm gonna try the impossible...and write out some duels in future chapters.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chappie! :D  
**


	72. Strength, Courage, Heartbreak, Duel

Narrowing his eyes, Miles watched the four run down the hallways of his building. The screens that captured the image of the four dimly lit the area.

"So the little brat did find those three fools." He grumbled to himself lowly, referring to Mokuba. "It can't be helped then." He stood up from his chair and moved to a control panel next to the glass capsule where Kay lay unconscious, still. He began typing a code into the key pad.

One of his employees looked shocked at his boss's action.

"S-Sir! You're starting already? I thought-"

"I thought so too. But there's no doubt that the Kaiba brat opened his mouth and told the others about our plans. There's no use waiting anymore. Hmph. There was hardly any use waiting in the first place." Some buttons lit up and a head piece moved onto Kay's head. "I suppose I wanted to taunt them and surprise them with my plans. But it doesn't matter."

"I see sir..."

Miles turned to face his employee. "You. I want you to send Endoh after them. The less there are, the better."

The man nodded his head. "Yes sir."

* * *

"I think we're getting closer." Mokuba said as they started to climb another set of stairs.

"Are you sure?" Cat asked. Mokuba nodded.

"Pretty sure."

Atem looked thoughtful. "I have to say...I never thought I would be fighting more madmen after that final battle with Bakura."

"None of us even expected that you were coming back." Cat pointed out.

"True...but even after I came back."

Cat nodded.

Mokuba looked up at his older brother. "Seto? You've been pretty quiet."

"He's always been quiet Mokuba."

"Shut up. I've just been thinking." Kaiba growled.

"You're mad..." Mokuba said. "But I understand."

"We all understand." Atem said.

"Don't start." Kaiba glared at them.

They reached the top of the stairs and walked into another room. Atem frowned at Kaiba and was about to speak; until he was cut off.

"About time."

Everyone turned to look at the unfamiliar voice. A tall, strong man with blond hair stood before them. He wore sunglasses and a suit like the others. Except he didn't wear a jacket or tie over his white shirt. He looked rather intimidating and his intentions were obvious with the duel disk on his arm.

He smirked. "No one can pass unless they defeat me. Of course you fools don't have the skill to do that."

"Tch. Another punk? Is Miles so much of a coward that he won't come down and face us himself?" Kaiba sneered.

"I'm afraid Mr. Miles is busy at the moment. Brainwashing your dear friend."

The four gasped as their eyes widened in complete horror.

"K-Kay...no!" Cat's voice sounded a little broken as she tried to hold back a cry of horror.

"KAY!" Mokuba cried, horrified as the others.

"No...we're too late?" Atem then glared maliciously at the smirking man.

Kaiba's glare looked more vicious than Atem's. "You...You worm! You piece of sh-!"

"I'm sure you're dying to know. My name is Endoh." The man cut Kaiba off. "My time is more precious than yours. So tell me. Who is going to today's victim?"

Atem opened his mouth to accept the man's challenge; but someone else beat him to the punch.

"I will."

Mokuba and Atem looked shocked to find Cat glaring at the man with anger and determination. She activated her duel disk and inserted her deck.

Endoh smirked.

"Well, well. This little kitten is bearing her claws. How cute. Fine then." He activated his duel disk. "I'll be the wolf that hunts and takes you down! I'm sure Mr. Miles could always use more experiments."

"Cat...no! You can't duel him!" Mokuba cried.

"Go on ahead guys!" Cat said, her eyes focused on the enemy. "You have to save Kay no matter what! She's an important person to all of us. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. Besides..." She frowned determinedly at the enemy, smiling. "This is my chance to prove that I'm no pushover!"

"No. No, Cat. I'm not leaving you with this man!" Atem suddenly growled firmly. "I'll duel him!"

"Atem...please. Trust me. Kaiba and Mokuba will need your strength to help save Kay." Cat said softly. "You've taught me duel monsters well. I'm no champion but...I'm strong enough to where I don't need anyone saving me all the time. I refuse to be a burden anymore."

Atem looked at a loss for words for a moment. He opened his mouth to protest until Mokuba touched his arm. "She's right Pharaoh." He said. "Seto would never admit it, but we're going to need your help too." Atem still looked hesitant.

"Enough of this trivial babble! Let's get moving!" Kaiba snapped.

Endoh laughed. "It'll be too late by the time you get there! After I'm done here, you three will be next!"

"Atem go!" Cat insisted.

Gritting his teeth, Atem nodded stiffly. "We'll be waiting for you, Cat!"

"Let's go already!"  
The three turned and ran out of the room. Cat smiled softly at their retreating forms before glaring back at Endoh.

"So then...shall we?" Endoh smirked.

Cat nodded.

"DUEL!"

Their lifepoints went up to 4000 and the two drew five cards.

"Ladies first." Endoh smirked. "Although it won't save you..."

"You'll regret it. Draw!" Cat drew a card, looking at it. "I'll play one monster in face down defense mode and one card face down. I end my turn!" After she placed the cards on her disk, the two face down cards appeared on the field before them.

"Hmph. Weak. My move. Draw!" Endoh drew a card and smirked, looking at it. "I'll place one card face down and then summon my Regenerating Mummy!" Placing his cards on the duel disk, the face down card appeared before him, before a monster appeared. It was a torn up mummy with one eye and rotten flesh, his bandages torn and falling off. It growled; having 1800 ATK points and 1500 DEF points.

Cat made a slight face at the disgusting creature.

"Now then. Regenerating Mummy! Attack her face down monster!"

The mummy lunged at her face down monster card and slashed it, causing the monster to reveal itself. A bright light shot out, sending the mummy flying backwards to it's spot. Endoh lost 200 lifepoints.

"Wha?"

Cat smirked as Mystical Elf stood on her field in defense mode. "Nice try." She said.

Frowning, Endoh straightened his posture. "I end my turn."

"My move then. Draw!" Cat drew a card and looked at her hand, frowning a little. "I end my turn."

"That's all? Pity." Endoh taunted as he drew a card. Smirking, he summoned a monster. "I summon Tribe-Infecting Virus!" A strange orange and black, flame like swirl appeared on the field with 1600 ATK points and 1000 DEF points.  
Cat blinked once.

"Before you say anything, dear, summoning Tribe-Infecting Virus allows me to activate it's effect. By discarding one card," He discarded a card from his hand. "I can choose any type of monster I want...and destroy it! And I choose Spellcaster!"

Cat gasped as her Mystical Elf was suddenly destroyed.

"That leaves you wide open for attack." Endoh smirked. "Go my monsters! Attack her directly!"

Both the Tribe-Infecting Virus and Regenerating Mummy jumped at Cat, attacking her full on. Cat shielded herself from the attacks, crying out as her life points fell to 600.

Endoh laughed. "This is too easy! You're going to fall before me and let your friends down...even after that cute little inspirational speech of yours."

Cat growled a little. "It's not over yet! My move!" She drew a card. "I'll place one card face down and play Swords of Revealing Light!" Giant swords of light appeared and fell around Endoh's monsters, trapping them. "I'm safe for three turns."

"You're only prolonging your inevitable defeat." Endoh chuckled darkly.

Frowning, Cat played another card. "I'll summon Sacred Crane in attack mode!" A beautiful white crane with a black head and neck with red feathers coming from it's head and tail appeared and crowed. It had 1600 ATK points and 400 DEF points.

"I don't usually like to do this...but I'll lose if I don't. Sacred Crane! Attack his Tribe-Infecting Virus!"

Sacred Crane obeyed, soaring towards the Tribe-Infecting Virus. The two monsters collided and destroyed each other.  
"I end my turn."

"Hmph. Desperate move." Endoh commented. "Draw!" He drew a card, looking at it. "I'll place one card face down, and since I can't attack I'll end my turn."

Two turns were left for Swords of Revealing Light.

"Fine. Draw!" Cat drew a card. "I'll summon Blast Magician in attack mode!"  
A magician dressed similarly to the dark magician appeared on the field. It's outfit was purple, black, gold and red. It smirked, holding a staff with a large scythe like blade at the end. It had 1400 ATK points and 1700 DEF points.

"I end my turn."

"Alright. Draw!" Endoh drew a card. "Now then. I will sacrifice my Regenerating Mummy to summon, Vampire Lord!"

Regenerating Mummy disappeared and was replaced with Vampire Lord. The monster was dressed in dark clothes with spikes and a cloak. It's skin was purple and hair was teal. It smirked at Cat, showing it's fangs. It had 2000 ATK points and 1500 DEF points.

"In just a couple more turns, you're done for! Unless...you can find a way to save yourself." Endoh taunted.

"Ugh..." She drew a card. "I'll place this card facedown and end my turn." She placed a card on her duel disk.

Endoh continued to smirk as he drew a card.

"I play Mystical Space Typhoon and destory your middle card!" He pointed to the facedown card in the middle. It was suddenly destroyed and Cat frowned, discarding the destroyed card, Magic Jammer. "Your move."

One turn was left for Swords of Revealing Light.

Cat drew a card and frowned in determination. "I summon Breaker the Magicial Warrior in attack mode!"  
After she set the card down, a monster dressed in clothes also similar to the dark magician appeared. It's clothes were dark red and gold and the monster carried a large shield and sword that matched his outfit. A black and red cape, with a golden design on the back, flowed behind him.

He had 1600 ATK points and 1000 DEF points.

"Hah! Is that the best you could do? You really are hopeless!" Endoh laughed.

"Save your jokes for another time. I activate Breaker's effect! When he is normal summoned, he receives one spell counter, raising his attack to 1900!" Cat announced as Breaker's attack points raised to 1900.

"Hmph. Still not enough to destroy my vampire."

"We'll see. Your move."

Endoh drew a card and was silent.  
"I end my turn." He said simply before smirking. "And your Swords of Revealing Light have expired."

Just as he said, the Swords around his monster disappeared.

Refusing to show him even a little but of fear, Cat drew a card and inhaled slowly. "I summon Gemini Elf in attack mode."

Two women, one with brown hair and the other blond, appeared on the field with 1900 ATK points. The blond wore a skimpy white and light blue dress with matching boots and the brunette wore a skimpy purple dress with matching boots. Both beautiful.

"I also place one card face down and end my turn."

Endoh chuckled. "And you've left yourself wide open." He said and drew a card. "Now then...Vampire Lord, attack her Blast Magician!"

The teal haired monster smirked before lunging at Cat's Blast Magician, fangs bared.

"Got ya!"

"What?"

"Reveal face down trap card! Sakuretsu Armor!" Cat flipped the card, revealing it. "If you declare an attack on one of my monsters, I can activate this card and destroy the attacking monster!"

Vampire Lord was inches away from hitting Blast Magician before it shattered into many pieces, destroyed.

"Tch. Nice one. But I'm afraid it won't save you." Endoh sneered. "I'll place one monster in facedown defense position and end my turn!"

Cat nodded and drew a card. "Okay...I sacrifice my Gemini Elf and Blast Magician to summon..." Gemini Elf and Blast Magician shattered, disappearing as a new light took over their spot. "Dark Magician!"

The Dark Magician appeared on the field in front of her, looking different compared to the usual Dark Magician. This one had pale green skin, blond hair and dark purple-blue and red robes.

2500 ATK points and 2100 DEF points.

"Hmph. Interesting. What do you plan on doing with that?"

"I end my turn." Cat replied simply, stunning the man for a second.

"F-Fine then." Endoh frowned and drew a card. He frowned at the card he drew. "I place down face down monster and end my turn."

"Fine." Cat drew a card. "I activate Breaker's second effect. By taking away the one spell counter on him, I can destroy one spell or trap card on the field." She pointed at one of his facedown cards. "I choose that one."

Endoh frowned slightly as he discarded the destroyed card.

"Without any spell counters, Breaker's attack drops back to 1600. But that's not all! I sacrifice Breaker the Magicial Warrior in order to summon..." Breaker shattered as a new monster took it's place. "Chaos Command Magician!"

A spellcaster that looked similar to the Dark Magician appeared on the field. His clothes were black, red and yellow and he had a long flowing cape.

2400 ATK points and 1900 ATK points.

"Hmph. So what are you gonna do? Attack me?" He smirked. "Go ahead!"

Cat shook her head. "I end my turn."

"What? Tch, in that case, you've lost your chance to win!" Endoh said drawing a card. "I place one card facedown and end my turn!"

Drawing again, Cat swallowed slightly. "_If I do this right, I can end this duel on this turn..._" She thought to herself before looking back at Endoh. "I place one card facedown on the field. And I summon a monster!" She placed a card on her duel disk. "Magician's Valkyria!"

A beautiful magician appeared on the field. She looked similar to the Dark Magician. She had bronze hair and a different outfit. Her outfit was pink, yellow, teal and purple.

1600 ATK points and 1800 DEF points.

"Now then...I attack! Dark Magician, go!" She pointed at one of his facedown monster cards.

Just then, Endoh started laughing.

"You fool! By skipping your battle phases, you gave me plenty of time to set this lovely trap!" He flipped a trap card. "Mirror Force! All your monsters are destroyed!"

"Not quite."

"What?"

"Activate counter trap card, Trap Jammer!" Cat revealed her trap card. "I can only activate this card if you activate a trap during the battle phase! This card allows me to negate the effect of your trap card and destroy it!"

"What? No!" Endoh cried as Mirror Force card hologram started to crackle with electricity before shattering.

"My monsters are safe. And I can continue my attack! Finish what we started, Dark Magician!"  
The Dark Magician twirled his staff before shooting a dark energy ball at Endoh's face down monster. The monster was revealed to be Giant Solder of Stone in defense mode. It's DEF points being too weak, it shattered and was destroyed.

"Magician's Valkyria! It's your turn!"

Obeying, Magician's Valkyria shot a green energy ball at the facedown monster. Hitting the card, it was revealed to be Magical Scientist, which was destroyed immediately.

"Now then...Chaos Command Magician! Attack him directly!"

Expressionless and unable to see it's eyes, Chaos Command Magician simply pointed his staff at Endoh, shooting a red energy ball at him.

Endoh cried out as his lifepoints fell to 1400.

"You little...MY TUR-"

"Hold it! I never said my turn was over. I activate my trap card, Magician's Circle!" Cat said, revealing her facedown trap. "Since my Chaos Command Magician declared an attack, I can play this card. Each of us needs to choose one spellcaster type monster from our decks and special summon it! It has to have 2000 ATK points or less."

Endoh growled, his only spellcaster currently in the graveyard.

"And I choose, Dark Magician Girl!" Cat placed a card on her Duel Disk.

A cute blond monster, dressed in similar clothes as the dark magician, only more skimpy and girly, appeared on the field, winking at Endoh. Her outfit was light blue and pink and she held a wand that was light blue, pink and yellow.

2000 ATK points and 1700 DEF points.

"N-No..."

"I'm also allowed to attack after I've summoned her."

"N-NO!"

"Dark Magician Girl! Attack Endoh directly and wipe out the remainder of his lifepoints!" Cat commanded.

The Dark Magician Girl smiled determinedly as she twirled her staff and shot a pink energy ball at Endoh, hitting him.

Endoh screamed in defeat as his lifepoints hit zero and cards scattered everywhere.

The duel was over.

Falling to his knees, Endoh then collapsed on the floor. "I...I'm sorry Mr...Miles..." He whispered before passing out.

The holograms disappeared and Cat placed a hand on her chest, inhaling deeply and exhaling in relief. "I...I did it..." She said to herself, trying to slow her pounding heart.

Shaking her head, she turned and ran from the room.  
"_I don't have time to sit here dazed! I've got to find the others and help them save Kay!_"

* * *

The three males had ran up a few staircases before reaching a giant metallic door, a large keypad next to it.

"Who wants a bet that this is it?" Kaiba mummered sarcastically before walking to the keypad.

"Are you sure?" Atem asked.

"Yeah. I agree with Seto. I'm sure this is the place." Mokuba added in. Atem nodded.

After a few moments of typing on the keypad, the door opened. Kaiba smirked. "I'm good."

The three walked in to find a very large room with no windows except for a large window on the ceiling, letting sunlight filter in. There were large computers and computer screens everywhere, followed by other large machines and wires. There were a couple of messy desks, covered in paper.  
Except for the sunlight and computer screen lights, the room was dark.

The three walked in, looking around cautiously. Mokuba stayed behind his big brother, looking around nervously.

"Welcome."  
The three stopped under the ceiling window, spotlighted by the sunlight. A dark figure loomed in the shadows in front of them. Kaiba growled.  
"Show yourself coward!"

Miles stepped forward, smirking. After he had revealed himself, a few lights in the room turned on, lighting up more of the area.

"I didn't think you would actually make it. You're one person short, but still. Impressive that anyone made it at all!" He said darkly.

Mokuba frowned and stepped forward bravely. "Where's Kay?" He demanded.

"Patience, patience my young friend..." Miles said cooly.

"We hardly have any patience right now." Kaiba growled.

"Spit it out! What have you done with Kay?" Atem glared at the leering man.

Miles shook his head, almost in a disappointed manner.

"You kids are so uptight. We should be having fun with this. After all...Kay has become a brand new person and wishes to play with you." He chuckled darkly, snapping his fingers.

Stepping from behind a large machine was Kay. She looked the same, except for a blank expression; her eyes having lost their shine and looked glazed over.

Mokuba gasped.

"N-NO! Kay! W...We're too late?"

The other two looked shocked and horrified as Miles laughed loudly.

"No need to look so glum. I think you'll like the new Kay." He smirked.

Kay walked up to them, smirking evilly.

"Kay...snap out of it!" Atem said.

Kaiba stared at Kay in disbelief. "Kay..." Outside of the shock of her being brainwashed, was the almost sad feeling of Kay having lost her shine. A twisted expression was on her face, which replaced her beautiful smile that he had grown so accustomed to. Her eyes lost their shine and spark that held so much spirit and life. It was almost as if she lost her color as well!

Kaiba felt like a lifeless, soulless android that replaced Kay, was standing before him. And he hated it. More than anything at that moment. It made him angry, hurt, sad and almost confused. He grabbed her shoulders, leaning down to her level.

"Kay! Wake up!" He snapped. "Are you going to let this man take over you? You're going to let him win?"

"Hmph. Don't be so naive Seto Kaiba." Kay replied in an odd voice. Almost as if a female android's voice came out the same time as her normal voice. Two voices at once. And one of them didn't belong.

Kaiba growled.

"How about this? Maybe you'll feel better if we duel."

"Duel?" He asked, still upset.

"Of course. If you win...maybe...just maybe...I'll let you see Kay again." Kay said, smirking.

"Seto..." Mokuba said sadly, his eyes having teared up at the fact that Kay was gone.

Atem stepped up from behind Kaiba.

"Duel her." He said. "Only you can reach her at this point. You might be able to bring out something stronger than the braincontrolling chip."

Kaiba didn't look at him. He only continued to stare at Kay, lost in thought. After a moment or two, Kaiba released Kay and stood straight again.

"Fine."  
He activated his duel disk. "So be it!"

Kay smirked.

"That's more like it." She said, activating her duel disk.

Miles laughed. "This will be quite entertaining!"

"Not so fast!" Atem growled and stepped up, activating his duel disk. "Your opponent will be me."

Miles smirked.

"Fine. If you lose...you'll be joining Kay and soon to be, Kaiba, as my slaves." He said.

"And if I win, you'll free Kay!"

"We'll see."

Mokuba stood at the sidelines, wiping his eyes as he fearfully watched the four.

"DUEL!"

* * *

**OMGWTFCLIFFHANGER!**

**Wow...it's been what...over a YEAR since I last updated? Lol Sorry about that guys. Lot's of things going on. But here we are! The duel I promised everyone. It sucks. I know. No need to point it out. Writing that unoriginal and uncreative duel took waaayyy longer than I had hoped. I dunno how Kay (NintendoQueen) does it! **

**Anyways, as you can already tell, Cat has a spellcaster deck, blah blah, unoriginal, blah blah, don't care I like it.**

**Regardless of the crappy duel, I hope you enjoyed it! See you next chappie!**


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